Third-Party Work Injury Claims in Philadelphia

When a third-party personal injury claim is successful in South Philly, the workers’ compensation insurance company has the right to subrogate or get money back, from the third-party settlement or verdict. We assist in negotiating the subrogation or lien so that our clients get more money in their pockets.

Our firm routinely handles subrogation issues involving this complex area of the law where personal injury law and workers’ compensation law intersect. Our experience enables us to be adept at negotiating and maximizing the client’s return on both personal injury and workers’ compensation claims.

In addition, our lawyers are available to serve as co-counsel in personal injury cases for assistance in reducing or eliminating the subrogation claims asserted by the workers’ compensation carriers. Many law firms that handle third-party lawsuits exclusively turn to us to help their clients negotiate a maximum recovery for both workers’ compensation and third-party settlements based on our experience with subrogation.

In the vast majority of work injury claims, the injured employee is prohibited from filing personal injury lawsuits against their employer due to an incident that occurs in the workplace. That is because they receive automatic protection under the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation law. Workers’ comp protects both the employee and the employer.

As we reviewed above, there is a range of incidents that can occur that lead to an injury caused by a party other than the employer. However, a traditional workers’ compensation claim does limit the types of compensation that an injury victim can receive. For example, injury victims who receive payment through the workers’ compensation system are not entitled to receive any compensation for emotional distress or pain and suffering. However, if a South Philly injury victim is successful in bringing a third-party claim, they could be entitled to a range of non-economic compensation, including coverage of pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional and psychological distress, and more.

Third-party claims in Philadelphia are different from workers’ compensation claims in determining negligence before receiving compensation. With workers’ compensation claims, employees do not have to prove the employer’s negligence in order to receive benefits. Third-party claims, on the other hand, require injured workers to prove that the other party was negligent in order to receive additional compensation. In many cases, the worker has to provide evidence that the third party created circumstances that caused the worker’s injuries.

Any person considering filing a third-party claim after sustaining a workplace injury or illness in Philadelphia, Bustleton, or South Philly, needs to know that the deadline for filing a claim is a little bit different than the deadline for a workers’ compensation claim. In Pennsylvania, a person is required to notify their employer within 120 days of their workplace injury or illness, but they still have three years from the date of their injury to file the actual claim, according to the Pennsylvania workers’ compensation Act.

However, the statute of limitations for third-party claims is two years from the date the injury occurs, which is the Pennsylvania personal injury statute of limitations. It is crucial for any work injury victim to ensure that they file their respective claims on time. Failing to do so could result in the victim being unable to recover any compensation at all.