Indiana is the top producer of steel in the United States and has held its first place ranking for many years. See, Indiana Remains Top Steel Producer in the Nation: The Deadly Dangers of Steel Production.
Accordingly, a great many Hoosiers are employed in our state’s steel industry. They have jobs in various capacities, of course: from working behind a desk in the office, to driving industrial equipment, or welding on the site. No matter the job title, everyone earning a living in the Indiana steel industry shares one thing in common: absolutely no place is safe from danger in a metalworking workplace (think steel mill, steel foundry, fabricator).
Accidents will happen whenever metalworking is involved, simply because of the hazardous realities of producing steel and steel products. When steel workers are hurt, both they and their loved ones may find help in a variety of ways from the support and assistance of an experienced Indiana personal injury lawyer.
Also read: Steelworkers’ Dangers on the Job: Top Five Steel Industry Hazards.
Shield From Stress
Immediately after a worker victim contracts with an Indiana personal injury attorney or law firm, a formal attorney-client relationship is established. This is a shield from stress for the victim and their loved ones in many ways.
As they are reeling from the life-altering consequences of the accident, it can be invaluable to be able to refer inquiries to counsel. The lawyer will not only be happy to help here, but will have lots of experience to bring to the table in dealing with a lot of these contacts, calls, letters, forms, and texts. There are also legal protections in place: once a lawyer has been hired, many communications directly with the victim are prohibited.
Steel workers are experts in their field of endeavor. Their expertise is to be respected, and they will understand the expert help that an established injury attorney provides. The relief here for the victim and their family can be amazingly beneficial. From little things, like how to expedite financial help for the family when the steel worker is in the hospital, to double-checking their time deadlines for filing insurance coverage or civil claims, can be handled by the worker’s lawyer.
See, Deadlines for Injury Victims to File Lawsuits: Statutes of Limitations.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Right after a serious or fatal work accident, just getting through each day can be an overwhelming experience. An injury attorney working on behalf of the injured worker and their family members can not only explain the details of the workers’ compensation coverage that covers their harm but work with them on the actual filing and follow-through of the insurance claim through payment of benefits.
For details on how workers’ compensation insurance is different from personal injury civil claims for damages, read: Work Accident in Illinois or Indiana: Workers Compensation Claim vs. Personal Injury Damages and Workers’ Compensation and Third-Party Claims for On-the-Job Accidents.
Gather Team of Experts to Investigate the Steel Worker Accident
Every worker victim has the right to independently investigate their accident to find out exactly what happened and all the causes for the event. There may be several reasons for a catastrophic accident in a steel mill or foundry.
While the injury lawyer will be able to research the applicable statutes, regulations, and court case precedents that apply to the matter, the need for factual analysis must be done by experts in the steel industry itself.
Experts must be brought on board that not only meet the legal requirements for providing expert testimony in a civil case but they must be confirmed to have significant expertise and the education for the particular situation.
There will be experts to provide admissible opinions on the causes of the event itself. Experts in explosions at a steel mill may be a bit different than those best suited for steel mill fires caused by electrical hazards, for instance. See, 7 Different Parties Who Can Be Liable for Indiana Steel Worker Injury.
There will also be the need for finding the right experts to explain the medical, psychological, and rehabilitation damages suffered by the steel worker accident victim. These experts will be able to tally past and present costs as well as forecasting with accuracy the future expenses that will be necessary for the care and treatment of the worker victim.
Experts may also provide opinions on things like lost wages, lost earning capacity, and other financial components of the injury claim.
- For more, see: Mazanti, Rômulo Garcia, et al. “Medical expert reports in occupational health: A bibliographic review.” Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Trabalho 18.2 (2020): 209 and Farrug, Eugene J. “The necessity of expert testimony in establishing the standard of care for design professionals.” DePaul L. Rev. 38 (1988): 873.
Legal Analysis of Civil Causes of Action and Legal Damages
Once the facts have been analyzed and the expert opinions finalized, the injury lawyer will be able to take this information and apply the legal safety and care mandates and the industrial standards to the victim’s accident.
From this legal work, the injury lawyer will be able to tell the steel worker accident victim if there are civil claims for damages available to them and who the various parties are that may have legal responsibility for the worker’s harm.
The injury lawyer can also clarify the damages that are available in the case.
Read: Damages are Different: Workers Compensation vs. Third Party Personal Injury Claims; and 10 Types of Injury Damages That May Be Awarded to Accident Victims.
Pursuing Justice for the Steel Worker Victim
Once the experts’ work is finished and the legal research is completed, the worker victim may have to decide on following through with filing lawsuits for monetary damages against third parties that may seem intimidating to challenge. Many personal injury claims have a David versus Goliath aspect to them.
Having an injury lawyer who has a track record of victories in industrial workplace accident injuries is important here. It brings confidence, and it often brings reward when the worker victim is faced with a number of insurance adjusters, company representatives, defense attorneys, private investigators, and more. Read, Insurance Company Has Duty To Settle Your Claim: Bad Faith Lawsuits Against The Insurer; and What To Look For in a Personal Injury Lawyer in Indiana or Illinois
When a known legal duty of care or safety is breached and someone is seriously hurt as a result, then the law provides an avenue for justice to the accident victims.
It is the honor and privilege of the personal injury lawyer to represent that accident victim, especially when steel mills come without any mystery on the need to protect those whose efforts are creating all that corporate revenue.
Steel workers are some of the bravest and most dedicated workers in our state. They deserve to be kept safe on the job, and it is infuriating when protections are lacking or non-existent in a mill accident.
For more on steel industry accidents, see:
- Worker Dangers in the Steel Mills and Steel Factories of Indiana
- Steel Workers in Indiana and Illinois: Will Falling Profits Mean Rising Danger of Injury to Steel Mill Workers?
- Hot Work Industrial Accidents in Indiana and Illinois: Employer’s Duty of Care
- Fatal Falls on the Job and the Employers Failure to Protect Worker From Fall Risk
- Lockout and Tagout (LOTO) Injuries on the Job: a Top Ten OSHA Safety Violation
- Confined Spaces: Asphyxiation Risks and the Tragedy of Rescuer Deaths
- Burn Injury Accident Claims: Calculating Justice for Burn Victims.
When someone is hurt or killed in a steel mill or metalworking accident in Indiana, state laws exist to help that worker and their families. Injury lawyers can provide compassionate support alongside professional advocacy in these matters. Please be careful out there!
