Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Benefits Available in Workers’ Compensation Claims
Since 2016, the average benefit payments in a workers’ compensation claim have declined by almost 20 percent. Almost every year, lawmakers lower workers’ compensation insurance premiums, in the name of attracting more businesses to the state. Lower premiums mean less money in the system, which means less money for injured victims and their families…. Read More »
Why Is My Lawyer Taking So Long to Settle My Case?
Most personal injury lawsuits, about 95 percent of them to be exact, eventually settle out of court. As most of us know, “eventually” could be a long time. Delays in the settlement process are inevitable. Insurance companies notoriously drag their feet in these situations. Each day they retain settlement money, they earn interest on… Read More »
Multi-Vehicle, Alcohol-Fueled Wreck in Seffner
A 22-year-old man faces serious charges after he drove the wrong way on Westbound Interstate 4 and triggered a multi-vehicle wreck. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the wrong-way vehicle crashed into a westbound Mercedes sedan traveling in the inside lane at Mile Marker 12. A pickup traveling westbound in the center lane braked… Read More »
Is a Workplace Shooting a Job-Related Injury?
A debate as to whether workers’ compensation covers workplace injuries or work-caused injuries could be headed to the state Supreme Court. The case concerns a 2019 incident at an airport car rental agency. At the end of his shift late one night, the job injury victim was walking from the rental car kiosk to… Read More »
What Injured Workers Should Know About Workers’ Comp and WFH
Before the pandemic, work from home was almost unheard of, even if the employee could work effectively from home. By December 2020, 70 percent of these workers said they were working from home. Most added they’d like to keep it that way. Now that the pandemic is in our rearview mirror, the return-to-the-office push… Read More »
Medical Bill Payment in Workers’ Compensation Claims
The average job injury-related hospital bill in Florida is over $40,000. These bills start piling up before the victim gets to the hospital. They keep piling up long after the victim leaves the hospital. The resulting financial strain intensifies the physical strain, making it almost impossible for victims to make a timely recovery and… Read More »
How Much Money Does Workers’ Comp Pay?
If a job injury victim has a temporary disability, workers’ compensation usually replaces two-thirds of lost wages, until a doctor clears the victim to return to work. Slightly different rules apply if the victim has a permanent disability. The amount of lost wage replacement usually depends on the nature and extent of the disability…. Read More »
What Causes Vehicle Collisions?
Some form of driver error causes over 98 percent of the car crashes in Florida. Sometimes, this driver error is a wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time mistake. Usually, however, this error is negligence, or a lack of care. Most drivers have a duty of reasonable care. They must be at their best, physically, mentally, and otherwise, when they… Read More »
A Closer Look at Workers’ Comp and Fair Debt Violations
Work-related trauma injuries and occupational diseases are very difficult to recover from. Many care providers make this process even harder. They demand payment for medical services, even though the Florida Workers’ Compensation Act and the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act expressly prohibit such demands. Sadly, many job injury victims give into these demands, mostly… Read More »
What are Three Types of Workers’ Compensation Claims and the Differences Among Them?
That’s a very long question and one we normally don’t see on Google. However, lots of people ask it, so we’ll address it in this post. All three types of workers’ compensation claims are part of the Grand Bargain of the early 1900s. Back then, most workplaces were very dangerous and job injuries were… Read More »
