Offered a Settlement for your work injury? Get advice quickly!

09/01/2018

No matter how careful you are at work or how good you are at your job, workplace accidents still happen! The good news is that in Queensland, we have WorkCover which is a state government-owned insurance agency that provides compensation for injuries or illness caused by your work. If you have sustained a work-related injury in Queensland, and you are offered an out of court settlement, you should never accept anything unless you have consulted with a Personal Injury Lawyer for legal advice.

Statutory Compensation

Any worker that has sustained an injury at work is entitled to statutory compensation in Queensland. Even if you are at fault, if you have been injured at work, travelling to or from work, or in any way connected with your work – you have the right to claim statutory compensation through WorkCoverʼs no-fault scheme. Statutory payments will usually cover your medical costs and some of your loss of income. These payments are only made for a limited amount of time, after which youʼre given a “whole person impairment assessment”. Then WorkCover will offer a statutory lump sum compensation for your injuries. If you accept the lump sum, you cannot make a Common Law claim, where you can usually get more compensation. If you are offered a lump sum, never accept it without seeking legal advice. Our Lawyers at Cairns Injury Lawyers will make sure that you get the maximum compensation for your injuries.

Common Law

If you can show that your employer was at fault, you may be entitled to make a Common Law claim for compensation. Generally, a Common Law claim will provide you with more compensation than what a Statutory Claim would cover. Through a Common Law claim, you can make a claim for:

compensation for pain/suffering
compensation for past loss of wages
compensation for past lost wages
compensation for past medical treatment
compensation for past care and assistance
compensation for future lost wages
compensation for future medical centres
compensation for future care and assistance

Settlement

If you were injured in a work incident and you have been offered compensation or a settlement by your employer, itʼs probably because they accept responsibility for the incident. It can be tempting to accept such offers and avoid the stress and complication of lawyers. You should never accept an offer of compensation without speaking to your Lawyer as you might be entitled to much more than you are being offered. Speak to one of our Lawyers at Cairns Injury Lawyers if you have been offered a settlement for your injuries. We can offer legal advice and guidance to help you make the most informed decision.

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