In certain cases it is sometimes useless to try to reach settlement with the insurance company. Insurance companies tend to use the pre-negotiation step to find out as much as they can about you, your attorney, and your medical history instead of analyzing the case and trying to come to terms with both parties.

Often injured workers wonder, how can this be happening to me? Take for example, Karen, one of my clients. Karen was a 35 year old wife and mother of three working in the factory. Karen was a dependable worker who always came to work on time and had not missed a day of work in 4 years. Unfortunately, Karen was lifting a heavy part at work when her back gave-out. She ended up on the floor in severe pain. Karen immediately went to medical and reported that she had hurt her back at work. The medical personnel told her to go see her family doctor and return to work with what he says. Karen's family doctor prescribed pain medications and excused her from work for the next week.

A client of ours named Mary, was injured when she slipped and fell on ice while walking on a public sidewalk outside of her work.  She had already punched out on the clock of her hourly job and was walking to her car when she fell.  The insurance company denied her claim stating that since she was not on the clock or on the employer’s property that they were not responsible under Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation laws.

As an Iowa-based workers’ compensation attorney for the past 11 years, I’ve worked with clients whose cases range from neck, back, shoulder, herniated disks, brain, arm and leg injuries. To assist you in your research for a solid workers’ compensation attorney, I’d like to provide you with answers to a few common questions.

What exactly is a workers’ compensation case?  A workers’ compensation case is any type of claim where a person has been injured or killed while on the job.  The legal requirement is that the work injury arose out of and in the course of employment.  The law does not require that a person is compensated for every work injury.  You must prove that you were on the job working when you were injured.  However, please keep in mind that there are special exceptions such as, falling in the employer’s parking lot which is also considered a work injury and horseplay which is not considered a work injury, etc.  Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation laws can be complex and the insurance company and your employer are not required to tell you how the system works. 

Iowa’s Workers’ Compensation laws can be complex. The insurance company and your employer are not required to tell you how the system works. A common misconception is that all attorneys who advertise that they handle workers’ compensation cases have the same skills, tools, and experience to handle your case. In Iowa, ANY attorney can advertise they handle workers’ compensation cases even if they have never represented a single injured worker.