If you work in a busy store like the Home Depot, you might slip over and fall at some point in your working life. These sorts of accidents are quite common but are not necessarily serious. At best, they may just be a bit embarrassing, or involve a few scratches and bruises. However, some slip and fall injuries are much more serious and you will then need to think about claiming compensation using your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. Most big employers will have this sort of insurance which should cover your medical expenses as well as a portion of any wages that you might have to forfeit because you have been injured and cannot return to work straight away. Talk to an attorney if unsure of how to go about filing a claim against Home Depot if you think you are entitled to benefits. The Home Depot – Company Profile The Home Depot is North America’s largest chain of home improvement stores. Nearly every city in the U.S. and Canada has at least one Home Depot. There are many more in Mexico, as well as some of the U.S. dependencies. Nearly 400,000 people are directly employed in one capacity or other by the Home Depot. The stores are huge and very busy so they absorb large work forces. Employees in these stores are busy putting goods on display, marking prices, advising customers, taking cash and payments for goods as well as being involved in the huge network of distribution that ensures goods get to each and every Home Depot store. Why Slip-and-Fall Injuries Can be Bad News for Home Depot Workers As has been already mentioned, not every slip-and-fall accident ends up with a trip to the hospital. Only a small percentage of slip and all accidents are serious and it is these that might end up in a workers’ comp. claim. Serious slip and fall injuries typically include broken bones, dislocated joints, concussion and minor to severe brain damage, cuts and gashes and sprains and strains. Any one of these last mentioned injuries demands urgent medical treatment and enough rest and recuperation after appropriate attention is given before the injured employee can return to work. A premature return to work can be counterproductive and may lead to slower recovery. Your doctor will advise you when a return to work is advisable and this advice should be documented as it will be valuable in determining the amount of compensation claimed. How Much Should be Claimed After a Slip-and-Fall Accident? It is impossible to give an accurate estimate of a slip-and-fall injury claim as the types of injuries can vary tremendously. It is unlikely that an employee will try to file a claim unless they have a relatively serious injury and have expensive medical treatment or have to stay at home recovering for lengthy periods. The claim is in two parts. The first part is the medical costs. This must be added up carefully to make sure that everything is included and supported by sufficient documentation. The lost earnings component is simpler to calculate as it is a multiple of the hourly wage, the number of hours worked a week, the tie off work and the typical limit imposed on wage compensation by the state, usually around two thirds. This is one possible claim breakdown for a Home Depot sales assistant who slips over a cable that happened to be in the way. Assuming for the purposes of the calculation that the worker earned $9 an hour, worked a 38 hour week and was off work for 5 weeks. Then the wage component of the claim could hypothetically be: $9 x 38 x 5 x 0.67 = $1,145. An Attorney Can Help You With a Home Depot Injury Insurance Claim When the workers’ comp. claim process becomes frustrating, or the claim is denied, or the payment made is too small, then it may be time to consider taking legal advice from an experienced workers’ comp. attorney. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against the Home Depot, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation.
