Can You Sue Someone Else After a Work Injury in Connecticut?

When you are injured at work, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance is usually your primary channel of recovery, and this insurance prevents you from suing your employer for your injury. However, you may wonder: can you sue someone else after a work injury in Connecticut? The answer is yes, as long as that party is unrelated to your employer and caused your injury through some type of negligence or misconduct.

Can You Sue Someone Else After a Work Injury in Connecticut?

Almost every private industry employer in Connecticut is required by state law to have workers’ compensation insurance, and this insurance covers most regular employees who are hurt on the job. This insurance also protects employers, shielding them from liability for these workplace injuries as long as they maintain appropriate coverage and process workplace injury claims from their employees in good faith.

You may qualify for workers’ compensation benefits if your injury was severe enough to prevent you from working while you recover. In 2022, the Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded about 35,700 reports of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses from private sector employers throughout Connecticut, and about 23,400 of these were severe enough to result in duty restrictions, job transfers, and missed days of work.

A New London workers’ compensation lawyer can help you file your claim for benefits through your employer, but depending on how your injury happened, you could have grounds to pursue additional compensation with a third-party personal injury claim. If anyone outside of your work caused your injury, you may have grounds to file this type of case. For example:

• If you are required to drive as part of your job duties and you are injured in a crash caused by a distracted driver, you can claim workers’ compensation benefits through your employer, but you may also have grounds to file a third-party personal injury case against the distracted driver.
• If your work requires any interactions with subcontractors and one of them injures you through negligence, this would qualify as a work-related injury, but the subcontractor could be held liable for any damages that your employer’s insurance won’t cover.
• If you have been injured at work by any defective product, you can claim workers’ compensation benefits through your employer, but you may also have grounds to file a third-party personal injury claim for product liability against the manufacturer of the defective product.

These are just a few examples of possible scenarios that could form grounds to pursue a third-party personal injury case. If you are eligible to file such a case, your New London personal injury lawyer can calculate all of the damages you are eligible to claim but cannot recover from workers’ compensation insurance.

If you have grounds to file a third-party personal injury case, this could enable you to recover compensation for your pain and suffering. Workers’ compensation insurance in Connecticut does not pay pain and suffering compensation, so if you have grounds to file a third-party personal injury case, this can greatly increase your total compensation if you have suffered any type of permanently disabling injury.

Ultimately, you are likely to have many difficult legal questions in the aftermath of your workplace accident in Connecticut. The team at Suisman Shapiro Attorneys-at-Law has successfully assisted many injured clients statewide with difficult work injury cases, including many third-party personal injury claims. Reach out to our firm as soon as possible to learn how a Connecticut workers’ compensation attorney can assist with your recovery.

FAQs

Can I Sue My Employer for an Injury at Work in Connecticut?

No, you usually cannot sue your employer for an injury at work in Connecticut if they have workers’ compensation insurance. However, there could be an exception if your employer intentionally caused your injury in some way, or if your injury was a result of your employer forcing you to perform a task outside of your usual job duties that had virtual certainty of resulting in an injury. A skilled attorney can review the details of your accident.

How Do I Prove Fault in a Third-Party Personal Injury Case?

Proving fault in a third-party personal injury case will require various types of evidence that your attorney can secure on your behalf. The types of evidence you need depend on how your injury happened, and some evidence may not be obtainable for very long. The sooner you hire a workers’ compensation lawyer, the more likely you are to successfully gather the evidence you need to firmly establish liability.

What Is a Third-Party Personal Injury Case Worth in Connecticut?

The potential value of a third-party personal injury case in Connecticut depends on the severity of your injuries, how much you are able to recover from your workers’ compensation claim, and whether you have hired experienced legal counsel to represent you. You may be able to recover lost income and lost earning potential that workers’ compensation insurance falls short of covering, as well as compensation for the pain and suffering you have experienced.

Can You Receive Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Emotional Distress in Connecticut?

It’s possible to receive workers’ compensation benefits for emotional distress in Connecticut, but it can be difficult to prove that these non-economic damages were directly caused by your work. You would need to prove that you have suffered significant psychological distress and trauma from an injury or other experience at your work. A Connecticut workers’ compensation attorney can gather the evidence proving your mental health condition is work-related.

Why Should I Hire a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?

You should hire a workers’ compensation lawyer to increase your chances of success with your legal efforts after your injury. A skilled local attorney can not only help you prove your eligibility to claim workers’ compensation benefits, but they may also help you build a successful third-party personal injury claim if anyone outside of your work was directly responsible for causing your injury.

The team at Suisman Shapiro Attorneys-at-Law has more than 80 years of experience helping injured clients throughout Connecticut with their work injury claims. If you have questions about whether you can sue someone else after a work injury in Connecticut, we can provide the answers you need. Contact us today to schedule your consultation with a Connecticut workers’ compensation attorney.