We know that with a lot of big law firms, it can be hard to get a hold of an actual attorney — especially if you’re trying to get in touch before you’re taken on as a client. At Oxner + Permar, we’ve never been fans of extensive intake interviews being handled by staff who are not attorneys. For one, how can you know for sure you want to hire a certain attorney that you’ve never spoken to? What if the law firm’s intake personnel over-promised and didn’t reflect the reality of your case to you? Maybe the actual attorney isn’t confident that you have a good case at all.
That’s why when you call Oxner + Permar, you’ll be speaking with one of our attorneys directly. Our intake department consists of actual attorneys. So if you have a question about a new claim, it will be reviewed by an attorney TODAY. What’s more, if you have any questions or concerns about your claim, you can ask and the attorney you’re speaking to can give you an answer on the spot.
This takes away the stress of waiting around for someone to answer your questions. You won’t have to wait for the attorney to get back with you at Oxner + Permar. You’ll have them on the phone and they’ll be able to answer your questions right away.
North Carolina winters can be pretty unpredictable. It can be 70 and sunny one day, and then snowing and freezing a few days later. Because of this, we’ve developed a reputation for being a state that doesn’t handle the snow well, and to some extent, it’s true. As infrequently as it snows here, it’s usually easier to close everything down until the snow clears up and it’s safe for us to leave our homes again. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible for everyone, and with the snow comes an uptick in accidents and injuries.
When it comes to workers’ compensation and winter weather, there are a few important things to take into consideration. First, you are not covered by workers’ compensation on your commute. So if you come into work on a snowy day and get injured in a car accident on your way to your job, that injury won’t be covered by workers’ comp. When dealing with winter weather, we recommend that you don’t risk it. If you can work from home or take time off, you definitely should!
This is a little different for those who have to drive for their jobs. Whether you’re running deliveries or on a business trip, if you get into a car accident while driving for your work, your injuries should be covered by workers’ compensation regardless of whether or not the accident was technically your fault. And of course this doesn’t apply to just wintery weather conditions. Whatever the circumstance, you’ll be able to seek compensation if an accident occurs while you’re driving on-the-job.
When we visit the doctor, we’re putting our trust in them…counting on them to know what they’re doing and that they’re doing what’s best for us. After all, they’ve been to medical school and are trained to understand how the human body works and what we need when we’re sick or injured. However, doctors are human and as the saying goes: to err is human. So what happens when a doctor or other medical professional makes a mistake and you find yourself more injured in the process? Will an attorney take on your case?
This is one of those tricky situations in which I have to say “it depends.” Unfortunately, medical malpractice suits are often very complex and difficult. In 2014 of all the medical malpractice cases in North Carolina, only 147 of them received settlements. This means many attorneys can be very wary of these kinds of cases, and some won’t take them on at all.
It’s good to know that at Oxner + Permar we do take on medical malpractice cases. If you’ve been the victim of medical malpractice, we invite you to give us a call. That way we can assess whether or not your case will likely hold up in court. We have a lot of experience dealing with these kinds of cases, which means we know what we’re looking for. We won’t take on a case we know doesn’t stand a chance, but we can at least advise you on how to proceed. And in the case that you do have a court-worthy claim, we’re ready to stand up for you.
If you are injured at a work party, you might not be eligible for workers’ compensation. Take, for instance, the following case. A North Carolina court affirmed the decision to deny a woman’s workers’ comp claim after she was injured at her annual holiday work party in 2013.
The woman, Melissa Lennon, suffered a fall while at her annual holiday work party. She sustained serious injuries including fractured bones and muscle tears. She filed a claim to cover her missed time from work and permanent partial disability. You might think that she has a fairly good case, seeing as she was injured while attending a work function.
However, the court decided that she was not eligible for these benefits. One of their biggest reasons was that, as far as they could tell, she was not required to attend the function — many of her coworkers didn’t attend the function at all. What’s more, the party was not funded by her employer, rather by some of the employees.
In this case, the ruling was not in Ms. Lennon’s favor; however, that’s not to say that there aren’t some circumstances in which an injury at a work party might be covered by workers’ compensation. If you were injured at a mandatory event, or if the event was sponsored by your company, it’s possible your claim won’t be denied.
Workers’ compensation is designed to protect people who are hurt on the job. However, when someone gets hurt at a work party, it can be hard to know whether he or she should file a claim with the state. Here are some things to consider:
A lot of parties are held during the holiday season, but only certain ones are mandatory.
When someone gets hurt at a work party, it’s important to understand what kind of party it was. Some events are mandatory, meaning everyone must attend. Others are optional, meaning attendance isn’t required.
Some companies pay for their own holiday parties, while others rely on employee contributions. It’s important to note that even if the employer pays for the party, it doesn’t mean that the worker will automatically receive workers’ compensation benefits. The reason being that the party wasn’t “required” by the employer.
Some people go to work-related functions just to socialize, but others do so because they need to perform a specific task. For example, a janitor may be cleaning up trash at a party, but he or she wouldn’t necessarily be performing a janitorial service.
Sometimes, people get hurt at a work party because they’re participating in a dangerous activity. For example, a construction worker might be using a ladder to hang decorations, but he or she would probably not be doing so if the ladder broke.
Sometimes, people get hurt at work parties because they’re trying to help another person. For example, a coworker might trip over a chair while helping his or her friend move furniture.
It’s important to keep in mind that injuries at work parties are different than those sustained at work. If someone has a preexisting medical condition, such as diabetes, then he or she might not be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if he or she got hurt at a work party.
It’s also important to remember that sometimes, people get hurt at parties because they’ve broken the law. For instance, a drunk driver might run into a tree after leaving a bar.
After considering all these factors, it’s time to decide whether or not to file a workers’ compensation claim. If you think you’re entitled to benefits, talk to a lawyer about your options. This way, you can make sure that you don’t miss out on the benefits that you deserve.
At Oxner + Permar, we’re always excited to support a good cause. We like to do our part to give back to the community when we have a chance. I want to take this opportunity to tell you about one of the groups we work with, to try to get the word out, and bring some attention to a good cause.
Rock and Wrap It Up is a very impressive organization that we partner with. They take unused food from schools and distribute it to the hungry.
More than 50% of children in Guilford County are on free or reduced-cost lunch programs. This means all too often these children can’t afford to bring snacks for later on in their day. Rock and Wrap It Up saves unused packaged items from school breakfast so that these children can have them later in the day. Food that would otherwise be thrown away gets eaten, and children who would otherwise go hungry get to eat. It’s a win-win!
As part of a 25-year-old nonprofit, Rock and Wrap It Up works hard to discover and vet agencies who are able to recover wholesale food and redirect it to those in need rather than sending it to landfills.
They are diligent about following the USDA and Health Department of North Carolina’s guidelines to ensure that the food is safe and stored under the correct conditions in order for it to be passed along to those in need. The organization also hosts the School Wrap program, which encourages students to get involved with saving food and sending it to those in need. This program has served more than 100,000 meals.
