EMTs perform a vital service to the community. Unfortunately, thousands of EMTs are treated in emergency rooms each year for on-the-job injuries. (CDC, EMS Data).
If you are an injured paramedic or EMT, you have important rights. You may receive workers’ compensation benefits, tort compensation, and other benefits that may be offered by your employer.
Attorney Bobby Jones can assist you. We advocate for injured paramedics and EMTs in Greenville, SC. Contact our law firm now to discuss your situation.
Types of EMT Injuries
Here are some ways an EMT may be hurt on the job:
- Motor vehicle accident
- Slip and fall
- Being hit by a patient, accidentally or intentionally
- Back strain and soft tissue damage from lifting a patient
- Transmission of a communicable illness or disease
- Needle sticks
- Sprains and strains
- Burns, electrical injury, and electrocution
- Overexertion and repetitive injury
- Cuts, bruises, and secondary infection
What is an EMT in South Carolina law?
South Carolina Code § 44-61-20 defines an EMT as emergency medical personnel possessing a valid, state-issued EMT, advanced EMT, or paramedic certificate.
Legal Help for Paramedics and EMTs Injured in South Carolina
Legal help for paramedics and EMTs may help you secure benefits and compensation, including:
Workers’ compensation
Workers’ compensation provides medical treatment and income benefits. An injured worker may claim medical care at no cost to them. For paid care, they must seek medical treatment from a provider authorized by the employer or insurance company.
When disability fully or partially prevents the injured person from working, replacement income is available. In addition, an injured worker may be compensated for permanent injury or loss of bodily function. Proving negligence or other fault for the injury is not required to claim workers’ compensation benefits.
Third-party liability and compensation
Third parties are often the cause of injury to paramedics and EMTs. For example, if a careless driver collides with an ambulance en route, the driver may be responsible for negligence. If there is a third party with legal fault for an injury, the injured worker may bring a legal claim to seek compensation.
Compensation may be greater than what is available through workers’ compensation, but proving fault is a requirement. Our lawyers can help you review the situation to determine if a third-party claim is right for you.
Other workplace benefits
When you’re injured on the job, it’s important to review your employer benefits package. Short-term disability may be something your employer provides or something that you opted for.
If you qualify, short-term disability payments may be beneficial to pursue. Attorney Bobby Jones can help you look at the entire picture to determine the right course of action.
As an EMT, can I get workers’ compensation if I contract a disease at work in South Carolina?
Whether an EMT can receive workers’ compensation for a contracted disease depends on the nature of the disease. South Carolina Code § 42-11-10 defines an occupational disease as a disease from hazards that exceed those incidents to employment. If the disease is peculiar to the work of an EMT, then it may be an occupational disease.
A person at any job might suffer a common cold. A cold is considered an ordinary disease of life. Anyone who has contact with the public may contract a cold. It’s not covered by workers’ compensation. However, an EMT that contracts a communicable disease from a person they are treating may be covered by workers’ compensation.
How an attorney can help
When you are an EMT injured at work, you likely have serious questions:
- What benefits do I qualify to receive?
- Am I getting the benefits I deserve?
- Is what my employer said true?
- Did my employer do the right thing?
- Can I bring a legal claim if someone else is at fault?
- How do I pursue my rights?
An experienced attorney can help you take the right steps if you are a paramedic or EMT injured in your employment. Successfully addressing a workplace injury requires identifying the appropriate benefits, following the steps in the claims process, and taking the right action if benefits are denied. An attorney can assist you with all these steps.
Attorney for EMTs and Paramedics Hurt at Work
Are you an EMT or paramedic that has been hurt at work? Contact Bobby Jones Law for assistance. Our law firm helps injured workers with all aspects of their case. To see how we can assist you, contact us to talk about your case. We can assist at any stage – whether you are just starting or your case has already begun.
