Workers' Compensation Claims for Home Health Attendants
Home health aides provide a very valuable service to injured, ill and elderly people. Like all medical professionals, however, these workers are at increased risk for becoming injured or ill themselves. The dangers they face include exposure to diseases, falls and accidents that occur on the way to the patient's home.
Injuries and illnesses suffered on the job are generally covered by workers' compensation. Many people need a lawyer's assistance to recover the workers' comp benefits to which they are entitled. New York workers' compensation law has undergone changes that have made it more difficult to obtain benefits in some situations. The Robert A. Koenigsberg Law Offices can help you determine what type of benefits you are eligible for. For a free consultation with a New York City home attendant injury attorney, please call 212-964-9292 or contact us online.
The Dangers of Home Health Work
The most common causes of injury and illness to home health attendants include:
- Vehicle accident in transit to the home
- Exposure to diseases
- Lifting patients
- Needle sticks
- Blood or fluid spills
- Assault by a patient
- Slip-and-fall accident
Back and neck injuries and repetitive stress injuries to shoulder and joints are extremely common due to the frequency of lifting patients. Accidental needle sticks and exposure to bodily fluids can result in home attendants contracting dangerous illnesses such as HIV or Hepatitis B and C. Slip-and-fall accidents often cause broken bones, spinal injuries and brain injuries.
Vehicle accidents are the most common cause of home attendant on-the-job fatalities. People who are in car accidents or slip-and-fall accidents may be able to collect workers' comp benefits and additional damages from a personal injury claim. If a negligent third party was responsible for your injury, you can seek compensation from it.
Please call our office at 212-964-9292 to schedule an appointment with a Brooklyn health care worker injury attorney today.
