Philadelphia Police and Law Enforcement Workplace Accident Lawyer
Experienced Lawyers Represent Police and Law Enforcement Officers Injured in Workplace Accidents in Philadelphia, PA
Police and law enforcement officers perform one of the most dangerous jobs in the Philadelphia metro area. As a result, police and law enforcement officers often suffer injuries on the job. Many times, these injuries occur outside of the police station or law enforcement agency headquarters, such as when officers must respond to someone’s home or business to investigate a possible crime. But injuries can also occur at the police station or while an officer drives his or her patrol vehicle. Police and law enforcement officers can suffer injuries due to the intentional or negligent acts of another party, or due to a dangerous condition on police agency property or on a private party’s property while officers discharge their duties.
When a police or law enforcement officer is injured in a workplace accident in Pennsylvania, they may be entitled to certain kinds of compensation, such as Heart and Lung benefits or workers’ compensation. In certain circumstances, an injured officer may be entitled to pursue a claim for compensation against a third-party whose intentional or negligent acts caused the officer’s injury. An injured officer can seek compensation against these sources for losses such as medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering.
The workplace accident lawyers of Marrone Law Firm, LLC help Philadelphia police and law enforcement officers who are injured in workplace accidents. Contact us today to schedule a consultation to learn more about how our legal team can help you obtain the compensation you need and deserve.
Obtaining Compensation for Police and Law Enforcement Officer Workplace Injuries in Philadelphia
Police and law enforcement officers are entitled to receive compensation for injuries under various local and state programs set up to provide benefits to injured officers. These programs include:
- Heart and Lung Act: provides full salary benefits to an officer whose injuries render them temporarily incapacitated from duty, but has stricter qualification standards than normal workers’ compensation benefits.
- Workers’ Compensation Act: Police and law enforcement officers are also entitled to seek normal workers’ compensation benefits from their employer under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act. Unlike Heart and Lung benefits, workers’ compensation benefits do not provide full income replacement but do provide medical expense compensation and can also provide compensation for permanent injuries.
In certain circumstances, a police or law enforcement officer injured in a workplace accident may also be entitled to pursue a personal injury claim when a third party’s intentional acts or negligence cause the officer’s injuries, such as:
- Motor vehicle accidents: Police and law enforcement officers can be injured when negligent drivers cause an accident involving a police vehicle.
- Defective products: Officers can also be injured by a defective product, such as a defective part of their patrol vehicle or a defective piece of police equipment.
- Premises liability: Officers may be able to pursue a premises liability claim if they are injured by a dangerous or defective condition on a private party’s property, assuming that that condition was not the reason for the officer’s presence on the property.
A workplace accident attorney from Marrone Law Firm, LLC can help you determine whether you are eligible for compensation from benefits programs or to pursue a personal injury claim against a third-party.
Workplace Accident Attorneys at Marrone Law Firm, LLC Strive to Protect Rights of Injured Philadelphia Police and Law Enforcement Officers
When the police and law enforcement officers who protect and serve us are injured in the course of their duties, the workplace accident lawyers of Marrone Law Firm, LLC fight to ensure that those officers’ rights to compensation are protected. We strive to evaluate every avenue for compensation in your case to ensure you receive the maximum compensation possible. When you suffer an injury in the course of duty, you may incur significant medical expenses and be placed out of work for an extended period. When those injuries are caused by someone’s intentional acts or negligence, you may be entitled to hold that person or entity financial responsible.
Contact the Dedicated Workplace Accident Lawyers of Marrone Law Firm, LLC for Help in Recovering Compensation for Injuries in Philadelphia, PA
The experienced workplace accident attorneys of Marrone Law Firm, LLC know that pursuing compensation for a police or law enforcement officer injured on the job can be a complicated process due to the multiple options for compensation that may be available to the officer. Our firm has helped many Philadelphia police and law enforcement officers obtain the financial recovery they need and deserve. If you are a police or law enforcement officer in Philadelphia who has suffered an injury on the job, contact our firm today to get us on your side, fighting to ensure you receive fair and full compensation for your injuries.
Frequently Asked Questions About Police and Law Enforcement Workplace Accidents
Police and law enforcement officers can suffer all kinds of serious injuries on duty, including injuries from assaults by suspects or arrested individuals, repetitive stress injuries, injuries from slip/trip-and-fall accidents, injuries from motor vehicle crashes, burns, broken bones, tendon and ligament damage, head and traumatic brain injuries, and exposure to toxic chemicals and communicable diseases.
When you are injured in the line of duty, the circumstances of your injury may mean that you are not legally entitled to pursue a personal injury claim against a third party. This is why police and law enforcement officers have access to certain benefit programs such as the Heart and Lung Act and workers’ compensation, which recognize that officers are frequently exposed to increased dangers in their job. However, even though you accept a certain amount of risk in your job, you are also entitled to expect that your risk of injury will not be unnecessarily increased by someone’s negligence.
The “fireman’s rule” prevents a first-responder such as a police or law enforcement officer from pursuing a negligence claim when the alleged negligence caused the officer to respond to the scene that resulted in the officer’s injury. Pennsylvania law only applies this rule in limited circumstances, recognizing that police and law enforcement officers were owed the same duty of care by property owners as others invited upon the property. Since this duty only involves warning of known hazards and a police officer likely knows of the hazards of a scene they report to, the property owner may not owe any other duty. However, Pennsylvania courts do not apply this rule when a tortfeasor’s intentional or negligent conduct is separate from that which originally created the emergency to which the officer is responding.