If you are reading this, you may have been hurt while working. You might feel scared, unsure of what comes next, and worried about how you will pay for your medical bills or lost wages. You may be thinking about your rights and whether you can take legal action. If so, you are in the right place. We understand how confusing this can be. You may have heard about workers’ compensation or personal injury claims, but you may not know how they work or what happens when both come into play at the same time. We are here to help guide you through this process and explain how the law works in New Hampshire.
When You Get Hurt at Work
In New Hampshire, if you are hurt on the job, you usually turn to workers’ compensation first. This is a system set up to help workers who get hurt while doing their job. It helps pay for your doctor visits, treatment, and some of the pay you miss if you can’t go back to work right away. The good thing about this system is that you don’t have to prove someone else caused your injury. Even if the accident was your fault, you can still get help through workers’ comp.
But there are limits. Workers’ compensation does not cover everything. It does not pay for all the money you lost from being out of work. It does not give you money for the pain or stress you feel from being injured. And sometimes, it does not fully cover the medical treatment you need in the future.
When Someone Else Is to Blame
Now, what if you were hurt at work, but someone who doesn’t work with you caused the injury? This is where personal injury law can come in. If another person or company—not your boss or co-worker—did something wrong that led to your injury, you may be able to file a personal injury claim against them.
For example, maybe you were driving for work and another driver ran a red light and hit your car. Or maybe you were on a job site and a subcontractor left equipment in a walkway, and you tripped and fell. In these kinds of cases, you might be able to seek more money through a personal injury claim than you could through workers’ compensation alone.
This is because personal injury claims let you ask for more types of money. You can ask for full pay you lost while recovering, future medical costs, and even money for the pain and suffering you went through. But unlike workers’ comp, with a personal injury case, you do have to show that someone else was at fault.
How the Two Can Work Together
This is where things can get a little tricky. In some cases, you may be able to get both workers’ compensation and personal injury damages at the same time. That might sound like a great thing—and it can be—but there are rules to follow. One of the biggest things to understand is that if you win money in a personal injury case, you may have to pay some of it back to the workers’ comp insurance.
That’s because workers’ compensation laws often let insurance companies get back the money they paid you if someone else caused the injury and you later got paid for it in a lawsuit. This is called a “lien,” and it can affect how much money you get to keep in the end.
This is one of the most important reasons to get legal help. Without the right guidance, it’s easy to miss something important or to agree to less than what your case is really worth.
What You Can Do to Protect Yourself
The first thing you should do is report the injury to your employer and seek medical care right away. This helps you build a clear record of what happened and shows that the injury came from work. If someone else outside your workplace caused the injury, try to get as much information as you can. Take pictures, get witness names, and file a police report if needed.
Next, speak with a lawyer who understands how workers’ compensation and personal injury laws work together in New Hampshire. A legal team can look at your situation and help you figure out if both types of claims are possible. They can also speak to insurance companies for you, help you gather the right paperwork, and make sure no deadlines are missed.
In many cases, there is a time limit to file claims. In New Hampshire, you must file a workers’ compensation claim within two years of your injury, and a personal injury lawsuit usually has to be filed within three years. These timelines can be different depending on the case, so it’s always better to act sooner than later.
Common Cases Where Overlap Happens
This kind of overlap happens more often than you might think. Construction workers may be injured because of equipment owned by another company. Delivery drivers might get hit by careless drivers while on the road. Nurses could slip and fall because of a cleaning crew’s mistake. These are just a few examples, but in every case, there may be more than one party responsible—and that means more than one type of claim might be possible.
Even if your case seems simple, there may be other things to think about. Sometimes injuries that seem small at first can turn into big problems later. A back injury might lead to surgery. A head bump could turn into a long-term health issue. That’s why it is so important to get the right help from the beginning.
How a Legal Team Helps You Understand Your Rights
Trying to handle a legal claim while you are hurt and out of work can be too much for one person to manage alone. When you bring in a legal team, they take on the hard parts so you can focus on getting better. They can explain your choices, help you file paperwork, talk to insurance companies, and push back when someone tries to offer less than you deserve.
Most importantly, they make sure your rights are protected. Whether that means fighting for full workers’ compensation benefits, or pursuing a personal injury claim at the same time, they will help guide you to a fair outcome.
Get the Support You Deserve
If you have been injured on the job and think someone else may have played a role, you don’t have to face this alone. You may be entitled to more than workers’ compensation, and it is important to understand all your options. The path forward may seem unclear, but with the right help, you can find your way through it.
At Tenn And Tenn, PA, we help people just like you every day. We know what it’s like to be hurt, unsure, and trying to get answers. We are here to support you through every step, from paperwork to courtroom if needed. If your case involves workers’ compensation and a possible personal injury claim, reach out to us today. Let’s talk about your story and help you find the best path forward.