Workplace Injury Lawyer For LAX Employees

Los Angeles International Airport was originally opened as Mines Field in 1930. With two name changes in the next 19 years, it became LAX in 1949. With over 3400 acres owned and 2900 acres used as the active airport, the facility serves more than 76 million passengers annually in domestic and international flights. The airport directly employs more than 3300 badged employees, but its impact to Los Angeles and the state is a great deal larger. It is estimated that all the jobs that support LAX operations, both on the grounds as well as off-site, number more than 600,000. The operating entity of LAX, Los Angeles World Airlines, is a department of the City of Los Angeles, and they are self-insured for worker’s compensation claims, similar to most large city and state organizations. If you are employed at LAX and are injured at work, please get in touch with Kenmore Law Group. There are some key pieces of information we can share with you before you file a worker’s compensation claim.

Working at LAX is going to give you quite a varied list of job opportunities. For all intents and purposes, it is a small city and requires a widely varied workforce capable of performing a variety of different roles. If you get injured at work, we want you to know that the team at Kenmore Law Group can help you with your worker’s compensation claim. No matter what assistance you may need, our team is available to take your call around the clock. Our focus is to provide you with the information you need, quickly and accurately, when you need it. When you contact the staff at Kenmore Law Group, we will answer your questions. If your call doesn’t fully resolve the questions or concerns you are dealing with, we will schedule you for a free initial consultation with a workplace injury lawyer for LAX employees as soon as you have time available in your schedule.

In that initial meeting, you are going to be asked about the details of your accident, when and how it happened, what the circumstances were at work, the hazard that led to the incident itself, as well as your injury, your diagnosis for treatment, and the impact of the injury on your life overall. We will document that information in a file and then work with you to review how the worker’s compensation program can help you. Worker’s comp can get your medical bills and lost income paid if you miss work because of the injury, as well as address some other needs as they arise. One fact about the worker’s compensation insurance program is the amount of time it takes to get the injury reported to the city and a claim filed to collect your benefits.

What Are The Time Limits For Reporting And Filing A Worker’s Compensation Claim?
For what we term a typical workplace injury, the time limit for notifying your employer in writing is 30 calendar days. That time period starts on the date of your accident. Your employer has one business day to provide you with the form that allows you to officially file for benefits. The time limit for submission of that form is 1 year from the date of your injury. Kenmore Law Group always recommends you complete the paperwork as soon as possible and get it submitted. If you need help in filing your claim, do not wait any longer to contact the Kenmore Law Group. We can help you answer questions about completing the paperwork before that 1 year deadline arrives. If you wait longer than 30 days to notify in writing about the injury, your claim will likely be denied. There is another time limit that deals with a non-typical injury. It is specific to injuries that are a result of what is called cumulative trauma.

What Does A Cumulative Trauma Injury Mean For A Worker’s Compensation Claim?
Cumulative trauma is a term that describes the cause of an injury that has happened because of actions or activities taken over a period of time. They are usually repetitive actions like the lifting of heavy items, leading to a back injury, or typing on a keyboard for years, causing carpal tunnel. If you are diagnosed with an injury caused by cumulative trauma, you can still file a claim, even though your injury doesn’t have a recent start date. The time limit for LAX employees is 1 year for a diagnosed cumulative trauma injury. It starts on the date of the first day of work that you missed and you are aware of the injury being job related.

What Are The Most Common Injuries And Hazards For Worker’s Comp Claims?
Most jobs have a few common injuries shared across organizations. Other injuries can be unique to the job you have and the environment you work in each day. Being an employee in any job will also have some risks that have no correlation at all to the business or the hazards normally associated with the business. They are accidents, and they can be random. The different injuries and hazards that Kenmore Law Group often sees in our airport worker clients typically begins with slip or trip and falls resulting in head or neck injuries, sprains and similar. The most common injuries and hazards when working for an organization similar to LAX are:

• Minor sprains that cause damage to the connective tissue of joints or complete joint dislocations due to constant movement, and what can be a busy work space with material and customers
• Back, and neck injuries, including muscle strains or pinched nerves, from the handling of items coming and going from the airport, and in the delivery of these same items to a terminal
• Small wounds on hands and fingers due to moving items around frequently
• Other hazards can happen, and they have nothing at all to do with the job.
• Environmental issues like fire, flooding, and building collapse, or similar
• Being exposed to chemicals that cause irritation or burns, used for cleaning of the building or inventory
• Exposure to prolonged loud noises over long periods of time, like aircraft on a taxiway    

If you have been injured working at LAX, Kenmore Law Group recommends you ask for a complete medical exam when you are treated. Any additional injuries you might have should be found immediately and treated so you can return to work as soon as possible. It is not uncommon for someone seriously hurt to experience some level of shock, causing them to not notice other injuries until days later. We also remind all of our clients not to delay in getting treatment if they have been hurt at work, no matter how insignificant the injury might seem. Even the smallest of injuries can lead to illness and become expensive when you deal with today’s healthcare providers.

Is My Injury Going To Be Covered Under Worker’s Compensation?
In general terms, any injury that happens to an employee at work is normally going to be covered under a worker’s compensation insurance program. There are some reasons they would not be covered, but have little to do with the injury itself, and more to do with the employee’s behavior that might have led to the injury. Some examples include an employee being under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or they were operating a piece of equipment recklessly. The injuries in cases like these may not be covered. Each company is required by law to provide worker’s comp insurance and to pay the costs for the coverage of the employees. This insurance can be used any time an employee is hurt on the job.  

What Are The Benefits Offered By The Worker’s Compensation Program In California?
Below is a list of key benefits that are provided to all LAX employees covered by worker’s comp insurance. The employees will receive injury benefits that include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Coverage for medical care costs that provides for both hospital and doctor’s bills, the rental of medical devices like wheelchairs, a cane, or crutches, costs of your prescription medications, and therapy or rehabilitation
• Immediate authorization of $10,000 within one day of filing the claim for medical treatment
• Rapid claim presumption means that, within 90 days of submission, there is an assumption of approval if a claim has not been rejected
• Short term disability covering 66% of their weekly income to a maximum of 104 weeks
• Permanent disability provides for long term wage replacement for a value based on the employee’s job role, age, and the severity of the injury
• Supplemental job displacement voucher worth up to $6,000 for permanently disabled workers with no alternative work role available
• Death benefits and burial allowance are paid to the surviving family members if the accident caused or led to the passing of the employee

Medical care providers will often work directly with the worker’s compensation program in order to bill their services when treating a person injured at work. This is a service that you should verify when you start talking to the hospital or doctor about bills and treatment to verify that they can offer this.

Can I Sue LAX For My Accident And Injuries?
Based on the rules around worker’s comp under normal circumstances, you cannot sue your employer for being injured at work. Worker’s compensation is insurance that is considered an exclusive remedy for workplace injuries. What this means is that there is no decision on liability or responsibility for the accident. Benefits are paid regardless, as it is considered to be no-fault. To receive the benefits, the employee waives the right to sue for damages.

If your employer can be shown to have created the work hazard or caused your injury through willful misconduct or a reckless disregard for the safety of their employees, they may be guilty of what is called gross negligence. If this is the case, then a personal injury lawsuit may be possible. This should be discussed with your workplace injury lawyer for LAX employees as soon as you suspect this might have been the cause or a contributing factor. One significant restriction on that lawsuit is the damages you can sue for. You can only claim damages that you have not been reimbursed for. For example, you cannot claim lost income beyond what you didn’t receive from the insurance program.  

Upfront Expenses And Representation By Kenmore Law Group
When you hire a Kenmore Law Group workplace injury lawyer for LAX employees, you will not be charged any upfront legal fees. We get paid only after you win your case. If we fail to win your lawsuit, you will not owe Kenmore Law Group anything. Please get in touch with Kenmore Law Group about any questions or concerns you have while going through the worker’s compensation process with the City of Los Angeles and LAX.