Walmart Work Injury Lawsuits in Houston

When you work for a large company like Walmart that has branches across the country, you have certain expectations. You expect that will receive fair pay for your work and have reasonably safe working conditions. Unfortunately, accidents occur regularly in all sorts of workplaces, including Walmart retail stores, offices, trucks, and stockrooms.

If you suffered a worksite injury, you should be able to receive compensation for your losses. However, Walmart work injury lawsuits in Houston are often complicated.

A dedicated non-subscriber attorney could help you navigate your way through the complexities of a legal claim in order to get you the relief you need.

How Traditional Workers’ Compensation Claims Work

In most states, when an employee suffers an on-the-job injury, they can look to their employer’s workers’ compensation insurance plan to recover benefits. Although individual workers’ compensation plans can vary somewhat in the details, for the most part they are similar in nature. These plans have both positive and negative aspects.

One advantage of traditional workers’ compensation benefits is that they are no-fault. An injured employee does not need to prove that their employer’s actions led to their injury. Employees can usually collect damages even if they were personally responsible for their own injuries. They must only establish that their injury or illness occurred because of their job duties.

On the negative side, all workers’ compensation coverages are exclusive and those benefits are an injured worker’s only remedy. Injured employees cannot simultaneously collect workers’ comp benefits and then turn around and sue their employer for damages in a civil court. Benefits do not always compensate injured workers for all their losses. They generally cover reasonable medical costs and a portion of the employee’s lost wages. Workers’ compensation plans do not include coverage for pain and suffering, mental anguish, or other types of non-economic damages.

How Non-Subscriber Plans Work in Houston

Unlike most states, Texas allows most private-sector employers to elect not to subscribe to traditional workers’ compensation plans. As non-subscribers, these employers must create and set up their own plan to compensate injured employees. Many employers, such as Walmart, elect to use their own plans because they can save on costs and be more flexible.

The advantage of non-subscriber claims is that an injured worker can pursue recovery for all their expenses. In addition to collecting their medical expenses, they can also pursue recovery of all their lost wages and lost earning capacity, instead of just a percentage with a cap. They can also seek recovery of money to compensate them for their emotional damages. In theory, injured workers could potentially recover significantly more in damages under non-subscriber claims.

However, to recover damages, the injured Walmart workers often must file a lawsuit and prove that their employer’s negligence led to their injury. Personal injury attorneys know how to build strong claims for compensation.

Call a Houston Attorney for Help With a Walmart Work Injury Lawsuit

Suffering a work injury can have both immediate and long-term negative effects on your family’s financial situation. Without your financial contribution in the form of a steady paycheck, your family might need to make significant changes. When your injury occurred because of your job duties, you deserve compensation.

Walmart work injury lawsuits in Houston could give your family the chance to recover what you have lost. Call Schechter Shaffer & Harris today to learn about how we could assist you.