Winston-Salem Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Getting hurt on the job in Winston-Salem, North Carolina can threaten your health and your income at the same time. If you’re dealing with medical treatment, missed work, and an insurance company that is focused on protecting your employer’s interests, a Winston-Salem workers’ compensation lawyer can step in to protect your claim.
Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers can handle the paperwork, deal with the insurance company, and fight for the medical care and wage benefits available under North Carolina law.
Call our Winston-Salem office today at (336) 490-4278 or use our online form for a free review of your work injury claim.
We Make
It Easy
We make getting help with your workers’ comp case easy. All you have to do is call us and tell us what happened. If we’re able to help, we’ll take care of the rest so you can focus on getting better!
You Deserve
To Be Paid
Don’t let your employer or your insurance company give you the runaround. After suffering work-related injuries, you have a right to be paid for your lost wages and medical expenses. Let us fight for that right.
No Fees Unless
We Win
The best part is that it doesn’t cost anything to hire our attorneys! We work on a contingency-fee basis, so you can put the full force of our team on your side without worrying about expensive legal fees. In fact, you won’t owe us anything unless we win benefits for you.
Why Choose Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers for Your Winston-Salem Workers’ Comp Claim
Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers pairs North Carolina workers’ compensation experience with real knowledge of Winston-Salem’s workplaces. That combination lets us build claims that reflect how injuries actually happen across Forsyth County.
Forsyth County Knowledge
We understand the industries that drive local injuries, from healthcare and advanced manufacturing to construction and warehouse work. That context helps us document exactly how your job caused your injury.
Industrial Commission Experience
Workers’ comp claims are decided by the North Carolina Industrial Commission, not a regular court, and its rules and forms are their own system. We handle that workers’ compensation process so a technical error never costs you benefits.
Records From Local Providers
We coordinate with Winston-Salem medical providers, including Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist and Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, so your treatment supports your claim. Clear medical proof often decides a disputed case.
Want to know where your claim stands? Call (336) 490-4278 or complete our online form for a free case review.
Who Pays for a Work Injury in North Carolina?
Your employer or its workers’ compensation insurance carrier pays for a covered work injury in North Carolina. You don’t have to prove your employer did anything wrong. North Carolina generally uses a no-fault system, so benefits can still be available even if your own mistake contributed to the accident.
To protect your claim, you have to follow the state’s notice and filing rules. You generally must give your employer written notice within 30 days and file a claim with the North Carolina Industrial Commission within two years. Telling your supervisor about the injury doesn’t necessarily satisfy both requirements.
A Winston-Salem workers’ compensation lawyer can make sure the right notices and filings are completed, deal with the insurance carrier, and protect your claim if the employer disputes what happened.
That matters because workers’ compensation covers specific statutory benefits rather than every type of loss available in a personal injury lawsuit.
See What Our Clients Say
What Benefits Does Workers’ Compensation Provide?
North Carolina workers’ compensation can provide medical treatment, temporary wage replacement, partial disability benefits, permanent disability compensation, and death benefits for qualifying dependents.
The benefits available to you depend on your injury, your ability to work, and whether you have a lasting impairment.
The main benefits available in a Winston-Salem workers’ compensation claim include:
- Medical Treatment: Workers’ compensation can pay for authorized maximum medical improvement needed because of your work injury, including doctor visits, hospital care, surgery, therapy, medication, and other necessary treatment.
- Temporary Total Disability Benefits: If your injury prevents you from working, you can qualify for weekly payments equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to state limits. North Carolina generally doesn’t pay disability benefits for the first seven days unless your disability lasts longer than 21 days.
- Temporary Partial Disability Benefits: If you return to work but earn less because of your injury, you can receive two-thirds of the difference between your pre-injury average weekly wage and what you’re able to earn afterward, subject to statutory limits.
- Permanent Partial Disability Benefits: If you reach Maximum Medical Improvement with a permanent impairment, your doctor can assign an impairment rating. North Carolina uses a statutory schedule to determine compensation for qualifying permanent injuries to specific body parts.
- Permanent Total Disability Benefits: Certain catastrophic injuries can qualify for permanent total disability benefits, including lifetime compensation in some situations.
- Medical Travel Expenses: You may qualify for reimbursement of certain travel expenses related to authorized medical treatment.
- Death Benefits: When a compensable work injury or occupational disease causes a worker’s death, qualifying dependents can receive weekly benefits, and workers’ compensation can also cover burial expenses up to the statutory limit.
Determining which benefits apply can get complicated when you return to lighter work, receive an impairment rating, need future treatment, or disagree with the insurance company about your ability to work.
Your Winston-Salem workers’ compensation lawyer can review how your benefits were calculated, challenge an improper reduction or denial, and make sure the claim accounts for every benefit available to you.
Injured on the Job? Let Us Be a Champion for You!
If you were hurt on the job, you have rights. Let our team be your champion and help you seek the compensation you deserve.
our winston-salem workers’ comp attorney
What Jobs Commonly Lead to Work Injuries in Winston-Salem?
Construction, warehouse and distribution, healthcare, manufacturing, and logistics jobs commonly expose workers in Forsyth County to serious injury risks. In 2024 alone, North Carolina private employers reported over 64,000 workplace injuries and illnesses, showing how common these claims are across the state.
A workers’ compensation lawyer in Winston-Salem can connect the demands of your specific job to the injury. Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers will build the evidence needed when the insurance carrier disputes whether your work caused it.
Common work settings and injuries covered by workers’ comp include:
- Construction: Construction site injuries can result from falls, heavy equipment, collapsing materials, and other job-site hazards.
- Warehouses and Distribution Centers: warehouse injury claims often involve lifting, forklifts, repetitive work, and moving inventory.
- Healthcare: Nurses, aides, and other healthcare workers can suffer lifting injuries, needlestick injuries, falls, and other harm while caring for patients.
- Manufacturing: Machinery, moving parts, heavy materials, and repetitive tasks can cause crush injuries, cuts, strains, and other work-related conditions.
- Logistics: Drivers, loaders, and other logistics workers can face injuries from lifting, vehicle crashes, loading equipment, and repetitive physical work.
Whatever your trade, a successful claim has to tie your job duties or workplace accident to your injury with solid evidence. Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers can gather medical records, employment information, witness statements, and other proof to help establish that connection.
Our Results Speak For themselves
$
7000000
Motorcycle accident resulting in paralysis.
$
3000000
Auto accident resulting in post-traumatic stress disorder.
$
1393000
Workplace accident resulting in a traumatic brain injury.
Hurt on the Job? Let Us Be a Champion for You!
Don’t wait to call us for help. Our lawyers are devoted to fighting for the benefits injured Winston-Salem workers deserve. Let us be a champion for you, too!
Do You Also Have a Third-Party Injury Claim?
You can have a separate third-party injury claim if someone other than your employer caused your workplace injury in North Carolina. Workers’ comp generally covers your claim against your employer, but it doesn’t prevent you from pursuing a negligent outside party for additional damages.
For example, a Winston-Salem worker hit by another driver while running a job errand on US 52 could have a claim against that driver. A worker hurt by defective equipment at a facility in Union Cross Business Park could also have a claim against the manufacturer.
A third-party claim can include damages that workers’ compensation doesn’t cover, including pain and suffering. Handling both claims at the same time requires careful coordination because the workers’ comp insurer may have a right to reimbursement from a portion of a third-party recovery.
Your Winston-Salem workers’ comp lawyer can identify whether you have a third-party injury claim, protect both cases, and address reimbursement issues before they reduce what you ultimately keep.
Why Do Workers’ Compensation Claims Get Denied in North Carolina?
Workers’ comp claims get denied when the insurer disputes that the injury is work-related, says it was reported too late, or challenges the medical evidence. A denial is not the end of your claim, but it does mean the insurer has drawn a line, and answering it well takes preparation.
Insurers also use pressure short of an outright denial, and those tactics are easy to miss when you are focused on healing. Recognizing them early is the first step to protecting your benefits.
The most common ones follow a pattern:
- Early Light-Duty Offers: You are pushed back to work before you are ready, which the insurer can use to cut off wage benefits.
- Disputed Impairment Ratings: Your permanent rating at maximum medical improvement is set low, which reduces your final compensation.
- Delayed Treatment Approvals: Care is slow-walked, which stretches out your recovery and pressures you to settle.
A dispute doesn’t have to stand because the North Carolina Industrial Commission can hear your claim and decide it. Preparing that hearing with the right medical evidence and testimony is where a lawyer makes the clearest difference.
How Can a Winston-Salem Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Help?
A Winston-Salem workers’ compensation lawyer manages your claim, gathers medical evidence, handles the insurance company, and represents you before the Industrial Commission if a dispute arises.
The goal is to protect your benefits without forcing you to navigate a technical system while you are hurt.
A lawyer can handle each stage of the claim, including:
- Manage Filings and Deadlines: Your attorney can prepare the required paperwork and track deadlines that could affect your right to benefits.
- Deal With the Insurance Company: Your lawyer communicates with the adjuster, responds to disputes, and pushes back when the insurer challenges your claim or benefits.
- Document Your Medical Treatment: Strong medical evidence connects your injury to your work and shows the treatment, restrictions, and limitations you face.
- Challenge an Impairment Rating: If you disagree with the rating assigned to your injury, your lawyer can help you pursue a second opinion and protect your right to the appropriate benefits.
- Prepare for a Hearing: When a dispute reaches the Industrial Commission, your Winston-Salem workers’ comp attorney can develop the evidence, coordinate medical testimony, and present your case.
- Identify Third-Party Claims: If someone outside your employer caused the injury, your lawyer can determine whether you also have a separate personal injury claim that provides access to damages workers’ compensation does not cover.
Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers represents injured workers throughout Winston-Salem and the Triad, including through our Greensboro workers’ compensation lawyer team. That experience with North Carolina workers’ compensation claims helps our attorneys prepare for insurer disputes before they threaten your benefits.
FAQ for a Winston-Salem Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
Do I Need a Winston-Salem Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?
You may not need a workers’ comp attorney for a minor injury that your employer accepts and treats without dispute. You can benefit from legal advice if your claim is denied, your benefits stop, or you receive an impairment rating you don’t understand.
A free consultation with our team can help you understand your situation and address all your workers’ comp questions.
Can I Choose My Own Doctor for a Work Injury in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, the employer or its insurer generally directs your medical care, which surprises many workers. You do have rights, including the ability to ask the Industrial Commission to approve a change of physician in some situations. A lawyer can help you request the care you actually need.
What if My Employer Says My Injury Is Not Work-Related?
You can still pursue benefits if your employer says that your injury was unrelated to your work, but you will need to prove the injury is job-related. Prompt medical care and written notice are your best evidence because they connect the injury to your work in real time. Related: construction site OSHA role
What Happens if I’m Given an Impairment Rating I Disagree With?
You can dispute an impairment rating you believe is too low, and you may be entitled to a second opinion. The rating affects how much permanent disability compensation you receive, so it is worth getting right.
A Winston-Salem workers’ comp lawyer can arrange an independent evaluation and challenge an unfair rating.
Can I Be Fired for Filing a Workers’ Comp Claim in North Carolina?
North Carolina law makes it unlawful to fire a worker in retaliation for filing a legitimate workers’ compensation claim. That protection doesn’t shield you from every job action, and disputes do arise. If you believe you were punished for filing, a lawyer can review what happened.
Get Help With Your Winston-Salem Work Injury Today
The longer you wait, the more room the insurance company has to question your claim, so acting now protects your benefits. Let Lewis & Keller Injury Lawyers review your injury, explain your rights, and take your workers’ compensation claim off your plate.
Call (336) 490-4278 today or send our online form for a free consultation. Our office is at 285 Executive Park Boulevard, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27103.
