The agricultural industry plays a vital role in the economic and physical wellbeing of the entire country. Unfortunately, state and federal law do not go as far as they could in providing the same protections to farm workers as those provided to workers in other industries. Combined with the increased risk of injury that many farm workers face every day, that makes this type of employment uniquely dangerous.
If you have been seriously injured while performing farm work of any kind, you may have more than one option for seeking financial restitution, which a seasoned Jupiter farm worker injury lawyer could help you explore. No matter what your circumstances are or what specific losses you need to recover for, the dedicated personal injury attorneys at Keller, Melchiorre, & Walsh could put every bit of their legal and technical expertise toward getting you the best possible case result.
Most employers in most industries are required under state law to purchase and maintain workers’ compensation insurance coverage for all of their part-time and full-time employees when they have at least four employees across both groups combined. Any worker who does have workers’ comp coverage through their employer may be able to seek reimbursement through a workers’ comp claim for all reasonably necessary medical expenses as well as a substantial portion of lost wages they can trace directly back to a work-related injury or illness.
However, different rules apply to agricultural businesses, which only have to provide workers’ comp coverage if they have at least six full-time employees or at least 12 seasonal workers who work at least 30 days within a single season but not more than 45 days in a calendar year. In addition, workers categorized as contractors rather than employees may not be eligible for workers’ comp coverage even if their employee does provide it. Put simply, this is a deceptively complicated system that is not built with agricultural workers in mind, so having help from a skilled farm worker accident attorney in Jupiter can be crucial to making the most of it.
A farm worker who does not have workers’ comp coverage may be able to demand compensation directly from their employer after an on-the-job accident if they can prove negligence by their employer—or by a third party, such as another contractor or an equipment supplier—was the main and direct cause of their injury. Every employer has a duty of care requiring them to provide reasonably safe working conditions for every person who works for them, and a breach of that duty that causes an injury serious enough to need professional medical care qualifies as negligence, which could justify a lawsuit.
Examples of scenarios where a lawsuit or settlement demand may be possible include:
A farm worker injury lawyer in Jupiter could offer more specific guidance about possible filing options during a private initial meeting.
Farm work can be physically and mentally demanding, not to mention hazardous to your health. Unfortunately, agricultural companies and their insurance companies will almost always try to avoid liability for injuries suffered by their workers. They have no problems with pressuring injured workers into accepting lowball settlement offers or even giving up on their claims entirely.
You can tip the odds of a successful case result back in your favor by retaining a young, progressive, and client-centered legal team that knows the data and can get you the results you want. Call today to learn how a Jupiter farm worker injury lawyer from KMW Legal could help you.
