THE TRUTH ABOUT ILLINOIS WORKERS' COMPENSATION
An injured worker sometimes believes that he or she can "go it alone" and make all his or her own medical choices, legal and money decisions in the case without a lawyer. There is certainly no rule or law that says an injured worker must ever have an experienced workers' compensation lawyer by his or her side. And there is likewise no requirement that one ever has to hire a doctor, dentist, accountant or other professional either for any service. But it is most often a huge mistake to make initial medical and legal decisions on a workers' compensation case without caring and experienced counsel. We provide such counsel at Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. and have been since 1950. We possess the skills, knowledge and energies to do all that is required to assure that you receive the very best medical attention and full financial recovery for your case.
If you have sustained an injury at work, you may be entitled to collect workers' compensation benefits. Unfortunately, obtaining these benefits can be difficult, and the process can be confusing. Many individuals fail to pursue their claims or they settle for far less than they could have received, all because they do not fully understand their rights and lack experience in these matters. Oftentimes a worker will delay giving proper notice of an injury to his or her proper employer representative, thinking that he or she will get better or being fearful of employer repercussions. Such a delay, even for a few short days or weeks, most generally then raises issues that an employer can employ to greatly diminish the worker's recovery, if not defeating it altogether. It is not at all uncommon for honest and hard working employees to improperly assume certain matters about their cases (by not retaining experienced legal counsel early on), and all sadly and unfortunately to their medical and legal detriment. Each day that goes by following a work incident, the employer and its retained lawyers, case managers, adjustors, doctors and professionals are building ways to limit or deny workers' benefits. There is a clear financial motive for employers to do so. The employer's team is in place often attempting to divert your medical care to its advantage and sometimes hopeful that you delay and not timely follow-up on your required medical treatment, all factors that can greatly harm a workers' case.
Arbitrators at workers' compensation hearing sites may talk to an injured worker, but know that they are not permitted to represent you. If an employer lawyer is there to speak with you, or calls or writes you to settle a case, this legal representative is solely working for your employer and/or its insurance company, only. Yes, the "good hands" can hold you and the "good neighbors" can make you feel warm and fuzzy, but these companies are giving you only artificial feelings of comfort and false senses of security. The tactics may predispose you to accept the insurance company's offer without ever consulting a lawyer. The insurance company's job is to limit the employer's payment and expense and prevent you from obtaining full, proper and complete recovery for your injuries. In fact, maximum recoveries and substantially greater insurance company offers rarely if ever happens without committed counsel by your side. Even if an offer to settle comes your way, we represent clients even "late in the game" (though not the best time for the very best recoveries) on their cases, and we have gained more monies for all clients over the past years even in those situations, and that's after payment of our fee. That's right, you, as the injured worker, can recover more net dollars in your pocket normally in fairly short order in spite of the company's representations of giving you their "best" or last offers. This results even though they have told you that there is no more money to pay you on your case. You may not always be in a clear and perfect state of mind following a work injury. You may also receive letters and phone numbers inviting you to call the insurance representatives, but you should only call experienced counsel on your side as provided by our own firm - 1-800-553-3125.
If you have suffered a workplace injury, you need a knowledgeable and experienced workers' compensation lawyer on your side from the start. Our firm has dedicated over six decades to helping clients in Southern Illinois understand and obtain their full workers' compensation benefits. Whether you have sustained a repetitive stress injury, back injury, broken bones or other injuries, we will aggressively pursue your case and help you receive the benefits that you need and deserve.
Committed to Helping Injured Employees
A workplace injury can, adversely affect all aspects of your life, making it difficult for you to concentrate on healing. As your attorneys, we will:
•· Explain your rights and benefits
•· Deal with insurance companies for you
•· File for past and future medical payments
•· Pursue weekly paychecks while you're out of work
•· Obtain for you the maximum permanent partial disability, disfigurement or wage differential to which you are entitled
•· Determine whether or not a third party is liable for your injury
•· Seek vocational rehabilitation and retraining, if necessary
•· File for Social Security Disability benefits, if appropriate
Throughout your case we will work directly with you, explaining the legal process and promptly answering any questions you have. You can count on our experience and dedication to help make your claim for benefits as painless as possible.
We have successfully taken on every major workers' compensation insurance company and every major employer in Southern Illinois from the largest coal mines, trucking companies, oil and gas companies and manufacturing facilities to the biggest distribution centers. If you or someone you care about has suffered a work injury, you want a law firm with a proven history of success. Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C. is that law firm.
This is not something we do on the side. It's not something we do once in a while. It is the thing we do every day, standing up for the rights of injured workers. Why is that important? Because the laws involved in work injury cases are complex. Our focus on these laws means that we have the in-depth understanding to succeed in even the most challenging workers' compensation cases.
Our professionalism, our attention to detail, and our willingness to stand up for the rights of injured workers - all these qualities - have earned us respect throughout the legal community. Among the many cases we take every year are referrals from other attorneys. We get referrals from judges, insurance companies and even from senior employees of the companies we have taken on in the past. Our former clients are often our best referral source of new clients. These people, our former clients, have seen us in action and know how serious we are about making every case a success. Some of our former clients' remarks about our firm's tenacity and concern can be viewed at the Client Comments section of our website.
By retaining the skilled attorneys at Hassakis & Hassakis, P.C., you have committed counsel on your side from the start. Many times after we are retained as counsel, we take all immediate and necessary steps, though we may elect to delay surfacing on the case, depending on what rights of yours are not being met, employment concerns, etc. Other times, we will file your application for adjustment of claim and file an emergency relief petition on your behalf within 24 hours. A committed firm as our own does NOT delay your recovery nor cost you more, as workers sometimes believe when engaging a lawyer.
You are always welcome to schedule a free, no-obligation conference to review your situation and for a candid assessment of what may be required for your best results. Literally thousands of workers have taken advantage of what our firm offers, and you should too. Below you can see a few of the distinctions we have earned:
Top 5% of Attorneys in Illinois
Mark D. Hassakis
