An injured carpenter will most always get a better result hiring an attorney.

If you have been injured on the job as a carpenter and live or work in the Sacramento area, contact Sacramento Workers’ Compensation Attorney Alice A. Strömbom today for a free case evaluation. She is one of Sacramento’s leading work injury attorneys and works exclusively with injured workers and protects their rights to compensation.

Workers’ Compensation for Sacramento’s Carpenters

Carpenters are involved in several different types of construction. They do everything from working indoors on kitchen cabinetry to working outdoors on the construction of office buildings and bridges. Carpenters don’t just get hurt on the job by hitting their thumbs with hammers. They fall and injure their backs and necks, suffer fractures and spine disorders, lose fingers or hands and even get shot by nail guns. Not all injuries are sudden either; carpenters suffer repetitive stress injuries as well. Being a carpenter is a physically demanding job and is one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States.

A few common injury types include:

• Lacerations and amputations
• Muscle strains
• Repetitive stress injuries such as carpal tunnel
• Injuries to fingers, the hand, back, neck or knee
• Slipping or tripping on uneven surfaces

Why you need a Workers’ Compensation Attorney

An injured carpenter will most always get a better result by hiring an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.

Initially, we most often hear from people because:

• California workers’ compensation is complex.
• The insurance company is working against you.
• You want to maximize your compensation.
• Denial of medical treatment.
• Your medical issues may result in a Permanent Disability.
• You are concerned about future medical treatment.
• You receive Social Security benefits.
• Additional body parts need to be added to the claim, also known as Sequlae injuries.
• You do not have personal knowledge of the medical legal evaluators in the industry.

An example of a sequlae injury: You injured a shoulder and can’t use that arm for weeks. Due to overuse of the other arm, your other shoulder begins to hurt.  This can increase the Permanent Disability value. Will a claims adjuster add these body parts?  No.

Many unrepresented workers get to the place of requesting a three member panel of “qualified medical legal evaluators” (PQME), go through the list of the three PQMEs and then select the one who can see them the fastest. This doctor is usually the worst choice and they often have a reputation of favoring the insurance company’s best interests. If you have an attorney, your attorney and the insurance company can agree on a medical evaluator rather than selecting a doctor from a panel list. This medical legal evaluator is referred to as an agreed medical evaluator (AME).

If you are unable to return to your normal carpentry job due to a career ending injury, a Qualified Injured Worker is then entitled to a Supplemental Job Displacement Voucher (Voucher) which is $6000 tuition to retrain for another occupation.  Additionally, a Qualified Injured Worker may be entitled to $5000 from the State of California’s “Return to Work Fund.”. This money can be used for any purpose but is usually used for living expenses while the injured worker is in school.

Contact a Sacramento Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Today

Insurance companies have attorneys working for them, and you should have competent legal representation too. Attorney Alice A. Strömbom focuses exclusively on Workers’ Compensation Law. She is very familiar with the tactics insurance companies use to avoid providing the medical treatment and disability benefits injured workers deserve, and has a recognized track record in combating such issues.

Contact us today for a free, confidential consultation and case evaluation.