Technically, everyone has equal access to justice, whether they have lawyers or not. However, insurance companies pay about 85 percent of settlement money to victims who have attorneys. Additional compensation isn’t the only reason job accident victims need lawyers. The process is very complex, and only an experienced attorney knows how to guide your case through this minefield.
Any one of the thousands of lawyers in the Bluegrass State could probably handle a simple workers’ compensation claim. However, there’s no such thing as a “simple” workers’ compensation claim. So, only the best Lexington personal injury lawyer should handle your job injury matter, whether it’s a sudden trauma injury or an occupational disease. Otherwise, confused victims often end up settling for less.
Finding the Right Lawyer
How do I find the right Lexington personal injury lawyer to handle my claim? We’re so glad you asked. Don’t rely exclusively on TV ads or Google reviews. All attorneys appear capable on TV, or at least almost all of them do, and anyone can write anything in an online review. When you talk to lawyers in person, look for the following items:

Dedication: Personal injury law requires a commitment to individual rights. Lawyers who handle a few job injury cases on the side, even if they have successfully handled them in the past, don’t have that commitment level. So, they usually look for an easy way out or a quick settlement.
Accessibility: Dedication is an all-or-nothing quality. Accessibility is often a thin line. Your lawyer should be accessible enough to meet with you at convenient times, and at convenient places. However, your lawyer shouldn’t be able to meet with you at the drop of a hat. There’s probably a reason the lawyer isn’t very busy.
Experience: This quality may be the granddaddy of them all. Law school teaches people to think like lawyers. That’s a very important skill. Only experience teaches individuals to act like lawyers. That’s an even more important skill. However, as mentioned, your lawyer shouldn’t only be experienced in taking a quick way out. Your lawyer must be ready, willing, and able to go to trial if necessary.

As you look for the right Lexington personal injury attorney, don’t look too long. Job injury victims have a limited amount of time to act.
Compensation Available
First and foremost, your lawyer should be ready to handle some common insurance company arguments about lost wages and medical bills, the two primary benefits in a job injury claim.
To determine the average weekly wage (AWW), which determines most lost wage replacement plans, many insurance company lawyers just use the victim’s prior net pay. However, the AWW also includes non-cash compensation, like per diem and tuition reimbursement. Additionally,t rh AWW is forward-looking. The calculation must account for things like future lost overtime opportunities.
As for medical bills, most insurance companies use boilerplate tables (e.g. a broken arm costs $1,000 and the victim needs three physical therapy sessions). Any excess expense is unreasonable, as far as the insurance company is concerned. However, not all job injuries are created equally. Different people need different levels of treatment.
The Workers’ Comp Process
A lawyer cannot do much during initial reviews. A Claims Examiner usually looks at the accident report, the medical bills, and any other paperwork, and approves or denies the claim. 
Back in the day, most Claims Examiners approved most claims, so victims could quickly get back to work. But the initial claim denial rate has increased significantly in recent years. Today, most Claims Examiners deny most claims, at least in part. Many job injury victims get very discouraged at this point. So, they often settle their claims for pennies on the dollar. But, if the victim has a lawyer, the fight for fair compensation is just beginning at this point.
The next phase is a trial-like administrative law hearing. Attorneys have free reign at these hearings to introduce evidence, challenge evidence, and make legal arguments. If a skilled lawyer prepares well, the administrative law judge often sides with the victim.
Insurance company lawyers know that the tables are turned at administrative hearings. Instead of the insurance company having the advantage, the victim has the advantage. So, these claims usually settle before the hearing, and on victim-friendly terms.
Injury victims are usually entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Lexington, contact the Goode Law Office, PLLC. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available. The post Do I Need a Lawyer for a Job Accident Claim? first appeared on Goode Law Office, PLLC.