Waukegan Workplace Lung Injury Lawyer

If you work around hazardous materials, such as silica, industrial chemicals, or buildings with substantial dust or mold problems, you may be at high risk of developing a work-related lung illness. Fortunately, workers’ compensation covers chronic illnesses and acute injuries caused by dangerous working conditions. You may be able to seek benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance for certain damages these conditions cause.

Obtaining the compensation you need for a lung injury can be much harder in practice than you might expect, especially if you do not have help from a seasoned workers’ comp attorney. A Waukegan workplace lung injury lawyer could help you get the best possible result from your compensation claim and explore your options for potentially filing a civil suit. We have staff members who speak with both English and Spanish.

Which Lung Injuries Are Covered by Workers’ Compensation?

Whether it is an injury caused by a single traumatic accident, an illness stemming from exposure to toxic materials, or a chronic condition that builds up over time as a result of dangerous working conditions, any lung damage that needs professional medical attention and can be directly traced to work-related tasks could warrant a workers’ comp claim. This could include:

• Lung perforations and other kinds of damage to the lung caused by external impacts or penetrating injuries
• Lung diseases caused by exposure and inhalation of dangerous materials, such as asbestosis and silicosis
• Extreme allergies caused by long-term inhalation of dangerous organic materials
• Any form of cancer caused by exposure to hazardous materials at work

Workers’ compensation could provide reimbursement for medical expenses related to these types of conditions, as well as disability benefits to compensate for temporary or permanent job loss. A lung injury attorney could explain the possible benefits to a Waukegan worker during a private initial consultation.

Filing Suit Over a Work-Related Lung Injury

If an employer provides their employees with workers’ compensation coverage, as state law requires, employees cannot sue the employer directly over work-related lung damage, even if it directly resulted from the employer’s negligence. However, independent contractors and other workers not covered by workers’ compensation may sue the company they work for over work-related injuries like this.

Furthermore, if a worker can prove that a third party other than their employer contributed to their work-related lung injury or created the conditions that led to the illness getting worse, the worker may file suit against the third party in addition to seeking workers’ compensation benefits from their employer. This can allow recovery for various losses that workers’ compensation does not cover, so it is often worth discussing with a lung injury lawyer in Waukegan.

Contact a Waukegan Workplace Lung Injury Attorney for Assistance

Lung injuries can quickly change the course of your life, and chronic lung diseases can have even greater impacts on whether you can support yourself without help from friends and family. It is therefore important to pursue your right to financial compensation if you suffer any kind of lung condition as a direct result of dangerous working conditions.

Guidance from a capable and bilingual Waukegan workplace lung injury lawyer could significantly improve the outcome of your case and what compensation you obtain. Call today to learn more from Schlack & Bassmaji.