Author Archives: Jay Butchko
Motorcycle Crashes And The Pain Afterwards
In TV and movies, motorcycle crashes don’t hurt. But in real life, motorcycle crashes hurt physically, emotionally, and financially. The motorcycle rider collision fatality rate is thirty times higher than the enclosed vehicle collision fatality rate. That one statistic says volumes about how much motorcycle crashes hurt not only victims, but also their friends… Read More »
SSD’s Quick Disability Determinations Program: What You Should Know
Social Security Disability waiting times have spiraled upward in recent years. In the late 2010s, the Social Security Administration (SSA) typically processed initial applications in less than 120 days. Over the first eight months of the 2024 federal fiscal year, which began Oct. 1, that figure had doubled. Additionally, the average wait for a… Read More »
Liability Defenses in Workers’ Comp Cases
A no-fault insurance program that compensates injured workers for their economic losses was a key part of the Grand Bargain between workers and management, in which injured workers agreed to give up their rights to sue in court. However, employers quietly reserved a few liability defenses. More on that below. To overcome these defenses,… Read More »
Worker Loses Finger at Universal Orlando
After a faulty machine cut off a worker’s finger at Vivo Italian Kitchen, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration cut the fine in half. Universal Orlando was only fined $5,046 after a worker at Vivo Italian Kitchen at Universal CityWalk lost a finger in a workplace accident. The fine was reduced from $10,046 after… Read More »
What are the Fatal Four in Construction?
The Fatal Four are responsible for more than half the fatal construction site injuries in Florida. Even if these victims survive, they usually sustain permanent injuries. Since these injuries are (for the most part) easily preventable, compensation is usually very high in these cases. When one of the Fatal Four construction accidents strikes, it’s… Read More »
Top Five Social Security Disability Respiratory Conditions
A disability is a life-changing event. Everyday activities, like going to work or school, become impossible. Sometimes, a respiratory disability is sudden and unexpected. Other times, the disabling condition occurs over time, becoming progressively worse. Life-changing benefits are available in these cases as well. These benefits usually include monthly cash that supplements lost income… Read More »
Fatal Alcohol-Fueled Wreck in Tampa
According to investigators, a 28-year-old man’s BAC level was 1.5 times the legal limit when he struck multiple vehicles on the North Dale Mabry Highway, killing one woman instantly. Officials say the woman was a passenger in a Volkswagen Jetta that was stopped at a red light on North Dale Mabry Highway at Spruce… Read More »
The FDCPA and Workers’ Comp
Most people know the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act for its limitation on debt collectors. But the FDCPA is also meaningful for job injury victims. It protects them from financial responsibility for unpaid medical debts. Or, more specifically, it protects them from financial responsibility for gap amounts. Most people know there’s a significant difference… Read More »
What to Expect in a Workers’ Compensation Case
Most claimants can expect long waits. From start to finish, the workers’ compensation process usually takes at least a year. Most cases require less time, because as the Administrative Law Judge appeal date looms closer, most cases settle out of court. However, a case shouldn’t settle too quickly. If it does, the settlement might… Read More »
Workers’ Compensation Wage Replacement Categories
Most families live hand to mouth, because they have less than $1,000 in savings. So, a few months without a paycheck, or even a few weeks without a paycheck, is financially devastating. The financial stress aggravates a physical injury, making that injury more difficult, and more expensive, to treat. As a result, job injury… Read More »