Columbus Factory Accident Lawyers

The factory industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing industries in the United States, making up more than 11% of the workforce. Factories contain many dangerous elements, including heavy machinery and chemical exposures, and if both the employees and the plant management do not adhere to proper safety procedures, the chance of serious injury greatly increases. The dedicated workers in these factories are responsible for making products that we all have grown accustomed to using in our everyday lives, and the attorneys at Rinehardt Law Firm are here to fight for these workers and ensure their well-being.

In 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that over 30% of all workplace injuries happened in the factory/manufacturing industry. According to research by the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA), there are around 690,000 work related injuries each year in the manufacturing field, and that number is continuing to rise as more men and women continue to join the workforce. The most common cause of both fatalities and injuries comes from injuries sustained from falling objects or contact with equipment within the workplace. The second highest cause of fatalities is transportation accidents—whether the victim was the driver or a bystander. The second-highest cause of non-fatal injuries for factory workers is due to repetitive work and overexertion on the job. Along with this, there are often slips and falls due to poor lighting and slippery footing, mechanical malfunctions, or chemical exposures from inhaling chemicals or chemical burns within the factory.

Factory supervisors and management are responsible for insuring that equipment and machinery remains safe and that all employees are properly trained. When safety is put on the backburner, workplace injuries are more likely to happen. Ohio Law allows you to obtain benefits in order to ensure that a workplace injury does not prevent you from making a living; however, you will need the experience of a lawyer to protect your rights and seek the compensation that you deserve.

A factory worker who is hurt in the state of Ohio may be able to get his/her bills, costs, and losses covered. There are two potential legal avenues that an injured worker can pursue, as outlined below.
Workers’ compensation in Ohio is set up to ensure that an injured employee always receives compensation if s/he is injured on the job. However, the workers’ compensation laws in Ohio prevent employees from suing employers for on-the-job injuries. Instead, employers are legally obligated to buy workers’ compensation policies for their employees in case of an accident. Whenever a work injury occurs & it is directly related to the job, regardless of who the at-fault party is, workers’ compensation provides benefits which can cover medical costs as well as income lost. If an employee is killed on-the-job, workers’ compensation will cover the death benefits paid out to dependents.

On the other hand, although workers’ compensation protects workers and guarantees that they have the money that they need to cover treatment and bills, it does not allow a worker to obtain compensation traditionally available in a personal injury claim. Due to these legal limitations, many injured workers will pursue third-party personal injury lawsuits. These claims can be filed in conjunction with and separate from workers’ compensation claims. These claims can be filed if any non-employer was responsible for the injury, for example, if a worker was hurt when a machine malfunctioned, then the manufacturer of the machine could be held responsible if there was a defect that caused the injury.
To be successful with third-party claims, however, you’ll need to show that the defendant was unreasonably negligent or that the defendant violated some legal duty, such as making a product safe.

Getting injured at work is always frightening, and obtaining compensation after a traumatic injury can be daunting. It is always in your best interest to contact an experienced Columbus factory accident lawyer to help through the process. At Rinehardt Injury Attorneys, our attorneys provide comprehensive legal services to injured workers throughout Ohio in order to ensure you receive the full compensation that you deserve after an injury. Call the attorneys of Rinehardt Injury Attorneys at (419) 529-2020 today if you or a loved one has been seriously injured or killed while at work, and let us fight for you.