A construction company is being sued by a former employee for $10 million after an on-the-job accident caused him to lose his leg. The man claims that his boss was negligent and inattentive as she was backing up a pickup truck and ran him over. His injuries were so severe that his leg had to be amputated.

The owner of the construction company believes he should receive workers' compensation, but that it should be capped at the legal $50,000 limit. The former construction worker claims he was not covered by workers' compensation insurance at the time of the accident and was being paid in cash, therefore workers' compensation cap laws should not apply.

If you or someone you love has suffered a workplace injury as a result of employer negligence, contact the Charleston workers' compensation attorneys of the Steinberg Lawfirm by calling 843-720-2800.

The volunteer fire department in Charleston has something to be happy about, as a bill was just passed to give the firefighters workers' comensation.

The bill will allow the state to set up a workers' compensation budget of $5 million. This money will be used primarily to pay hospital fees for the firefighters who are injured while volunteering. There are currently over 400 fire departments in South Carolina, and they will all be given a share of the $5 million.

This help from the state, which some are referring to as a bailout, will also keep counties from sinking into debt, as they previously paid volunteer fire department costs.

Workers' compensation is a vital right to anyone who provides a service to someone else. If you feel that you are owed workers' compensation and would like help receiving it, please contact the Charleston workers' compensation lawyers of the Steinberg Law Firm at 843-720-2800.

In late November, the South Carolina Workers' Compensation Committee (WCC) failed to deposit some $250,000 in unexpended funds with the state's bank accounts.  According to the WCC, it refused to do so because it was concerned that the South Carolina General Assembly would have taken the funds to use for other programs.

The discrepancy was discovered by the South Carolina Legislative Audit Council, which recently released a major auditing report about the state's programs.  The details of the report are likely to spur renewed debate about the state's workers' compensation system.

If you or someone you love has been injured on the job, you may be entitled to workers' compensation funds.  To discuss your needs with the Charleston workers' compensation attorneys of the Steinberg Law Firm, contact us today by calling 843-720-2800. 

NCCI Holdings Inc. released a report last Friday that shows indemnity and medical severity for workers compensation claims continued to rise in 2009 while frequency of such claims continued to drop.

The Boca Raton, Fla.-based unit of the National Council on Compensation Insurance Inc. said on Friday that the frequency of workers comp claims dropped 4% in 2009 following a 3.4% decrease in 2008.

The increased use of robotics, an aging workforce, and improved safety practices have contributed to this frequency decrease.

Complex claims, such as lower-back issues, have declined at a rate greater than the average decline for the last five years.

“It remains to be seen whether changes in average wage and indemnity cost per claim will begin to converge in 2010,” NCCI said in the research brief.

If you or someone you know needs to file for disability benefits, contact the Charleston workers' compensation lawyers of The Steinberg Law Firm at 843-720-2800 to learn more about your rights.

New Jersey has the lowest disability rate for people between the ages 16 and 64, according to a 2009 survey from the U.S. Census Bureau.

California, Colorado, Illinois, Hawaii, Minnesota and Utah also have similarly low disability rates. At the other end of the scale was West Virginia, which had the highest disability rate at 16.8 percent.

19.5 million United States citizens had a disability in 2009. Additionally, 23 percent of people with disabilities in the U.S. are employed.

The survey categorized disabilities by ambulatory, cognitive, hearing and vision.

If you or someone you know needs to file for disability benefits, contact the Charleston workers' compensation lawyers of The Steinberg Law Firm at 843-720-2800 to learn more about your rights.