Many people go right through their working life never having experienced a single accident or dangerous moment, but there are always a few who are not so fortunate. If you do have a bad accident while at work and suffer a significant injury, you may be able to claim compensation from your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. Nearly every state makes provisions for workers who are injured or become ill at work and generally all large employers have such insurance policies. If you do have an accident and are unsure about how to proceed, talk to a workers’ comp. attorney as soon as possible. A workers' compensation attorney can try to help determine if you might be eligible for a claim against Target if you were injured on the job. Target – Company Profile Wherever there is a Walmart, there is probably a Target not far away. Target stores are almost as big as their main competitor and employ almost as many people. Target Inc. is headquartered at present in Minneapolis, Minnesota and its instantly recognizable stores with their target symbol on the building exterior are found all over North America. Over a third of a million people work for the company in one capacity or another. Many are employed in Target department stores, helping customers to make purchases, stocking shelves and arranging displays, in the warehouse unpacking products, at the check-out or delivering goods from distribution centers to store locations. Slip and Fall Accidents May Lead to a Workers’ Comp. Claim Slip-and-fall accidents can happen anywhere and at anytime. They can easily happen when working in a big department store like a Target store. Serious slip-and-fall accidents mean urgent medical attention and time off work while the injury is assessed and dealt with. Many typical slip-and-fall injuries, such as bone fractures, likely need complete rest away from the job. Most doctors will provide an opinion about whether an employee should be able to resume work and this opinion will prove to be useful if and when a workers’ comp. claim is filed to cover the period after the injury has occurred. A Slip-and-Fall Injury Compensation Calculation It is usual for the employee who is thinking of making a workers’ comp. claim to be unsure of how to calculate the amount of compensation that should be requested. The amount must reflect the real medical costs associated with the work related slip and fall injury as well as the cost of any lost earnings. It is the latter that is normally easier to calculate because it is determined by the contract or work conditions that the employee is working for and is not likely to be disputed by the employer or the employer’s insurer. The lost earnings component is a multiple of the normal Target hourly wage, the number of hours that would have been worked per week and the number of weeks absent as well as the percentage determined by the state that limits the compensation amount. Hypothetically speaking, if a Target store worker falls from a height and breaks a leg bone, he or she may be off work for two months while surgery takes place and the fracture heals properly. The claim might look like this: $8 (hourly wage) x 40 (no. of hours per week) x 8 (no. of weeks absent) x 0.67 (state-determined percentage). For this hypothetical example, the total lost earnings component claimed would be $1,715. This would be in addition to the medical expenses claimed. An Attorney Can Help You With a Workers’ Comp. Claim You would think that if an employee slips and falls and breaks a leg that his or her employer would be sympathetic and bend over backwards to ensure compensation is paid. This may or may not happen. If you, as the injured employee encounters any obstacles when you go through the claim process, it is wise to contact an experienced workers’ comp. attorney to see what sort of legal help can be obtained. *The content of this article serves only to provide information and should not be construed as legal advice. If you file a claim against Target, or any other party, you may not be entitled to any compensation. Additional Resource(s) Filing a Target Workers' Compensation Claim in California
