You would be hard pressed to find someone who doesn’t agree that construction work is a dangerous field to be in. Just a quick Google search can show you at least half a dozen people who have been killed just from the beginning of April in North Carolina alone in regards to construction sites. I was just reading about a twenty year old who fell while working on a high school construction project and died from his injuries. Twenty years old and he has perished. He was hardly out of high school himself, but unfortunately this is not an odd headline to see. Although this was regarded as an “isolated incident”, this is not an abnormal occurrence. While I could go on for quite a while about how avoidable this tragedy was, I will restrict myself to talking simply about how often we see people hurt at construction sites.

While I was in college, a new parking garage was being built on campus. During a class in a building nearby one day, there was a terrible sound. We all looked out the window to see a cloud of dust and we could not focus for the rest of the period out of concern and confusion. It turns out that part of the deck had collapsed and one man was seriously injured. The school called this an isolated incident, however three days later another man was hurt while doing restorations to another building on the other side of campus. Injuries on these sites are more common than any of us care to think about, however if you work in construction you cannot help but think about this. This is where we like to step in.

If you are a construction worker and you have been hurt while on the job, do not hesitate in calling Collier Law Firm. You need to work in a timely fashion and we will make sure that this occurs. We hate to see anyone hurt, especially if it is in a situation which could have been avoided as most construction injuries could. If you have a loved one who has been killed on a construction job, we want you to call as well. We will do everything in our power to make sure that you have the proper compensation for the extent of injuries sustained. Call today for a free consultation.

Over the past couple of years, there has been a lot of awareness brought to us about something called mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is more than just a word in a commercial. It is actually a severe form of cancer for which treatments are available but as of now, a cure is not known. Unfortunately, many people have been exposed to factors which can cause mesothelioma. Although there are other factors such as genetic and other health issues, the main known cause of mesothelioma is an exposure to asbestos.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been used for decades to create everything from flooring boards to roofing shingles. It was commonly used in insulation for many years and as such many people have been exposed to it. People who used to work in construction, mines, shipyards, and even those who worked in buildings that had asbestos in the materials used to make them are at a much higher risk of developing mesothelioma. However, it is also worth mentioning that mesothelioma can be a genetic disorder, so if you are diagnosed with it you may not have been exposed to large levels of asbestos. Different people develop mesothelioma after being exposed to varying levels of asbestos, so there are other factors at play that you need to discuss with your doctor first.

There are many different symptoms to mesothelioma due to the fact that there are different forms of the cancer. Some of the symptoms include shortness of breath, painful coughing, pain under the rib cage, abdominal swelling, unusual lumps of tissue under the skin on your chest or stomach, unexplained weight loss, and more. It is always important to report any concerning symptoms to your doctor right away, especially if you believe you may have been exposed to asbestos. Remember that it can take decades for mesothelioma to develop after your exposure, so there may always be a chance that your disease was work related.

If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you believe it may be due to a job, then call Collier today for your free consultation. No one should have to go through a diagnosis like this alone and we know how financially catastrophic the treatment can be. Get in contact with us and we will do everything possible to help you through every step of your possible workers compensation.

Very often with workers compensation claims, people believe that it is either not as severe as people say or doesn’t exist as all. While this is not true in the least, there is still a negative connotation around it. According to recent findings, only one to two percent of workers compensation claims are fraudulent. This doesn’t stop certain employers from attempting to prove that the claims are false, however, and some even go to lengths like hiring private investigators to prove their thoughts are accurate.

One of the biggest issues with private investigators is that they are hired by someone who may not have your best interests in mind. This means that they likely have no concern about fair or honest reporting, as they are either biased against you by whoever has hired them or they are paid more if they find what your employer wants them to. This means that some even edit down hours and hours of footage to shorter pieces which show you as more active than you are or as doing something you claim brings you pain. It doesn’t matter if it is something you could not avoid doing for whatever reason. Also, they are able to film you from any public property which means that if you are doing something as simple as grocery shopping, you may be caught on camera.

In order to make sure that you are protected against this activity, you should always follow every bit of your doctor’s advice. If you are told not to lift anything over 15 pounds, then don’t. This includes pet food at the grocery store. If you are not supposed to bend at the waist, then make sure that you are not bending down to grab something off the bottom shelf or out of a basket. While this may be nearly impossible, it is important to do all you can to protect yourself against this kind of footage.

If you have been hurt on the job, call Collier Law Firm and discuss what else you can do to make sure your claim is seen as legitimate. Sometimes having the injury isn’t enough if there is footage made to look like you are not in pain. Call us today for a free consultation and see what we can do to help prevent you from losing your case.

Heart attacks are much more common than any of us would like to think about. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control, heart related illnesses are the number one killer in the United States. If their statistics are correct, a person suffers a heart attack once every thirty four seconds. I don’t know about you, but to me that’s a terrifying number. Almost every single person knows someone who has had a heart attack, or has had one themselves. This brings about a very good question. Can you claim a heart attack under workers compensation?

In Ohio, that is exactly what one widow tried to do. A few years ago, the mayor of Toledo suffered a heart attack in February while he was driving and ended up crashing his sports utility vehicle into a pole. He had just delivered a statement to the public that, due to extreme winter conditions, they would be restricting vehicular movement on the roads in a couple of hours. The mayor then got back into his government owned vehicle and travelled to Costco, which was a person errand. It was also stated, however, that he would often take the long way home after these news conferences to check the state of the roads for himself. Once he crashed, he was taken to the hospital where he survived for five days before succumbing to his injuries.

Soon after his death, his widow applied for workers compensation, saying that he was acting in his duties. She also claimed that the heart attack he suffered was due to the stress of work. While her first claim was denied, she appealed it and won. This was then appealed and then denied again. She has since filed a lawsuit.

In North Carolina, for someone to claim that a heart attack is due to work, you must be able to show that extraordinary or unusual physical exertion was present, including strain or a causal connection between the exertion, strain, and heart attack. Your previous medical health must also be taken into account.

If you or someone you love has had a heart attack at work and you think it may be related, call Collier Law Firm for your free consultation and see what we can do to help you. After all, your main goal should be getting back to your old self.