Experienced United Airlines Workers Comp Attorney
I Help Injured United Airlines Employees Get Workers Comp Benefits When They Are Hurt On the Job and Negotiate Lump Sum Settlements of their Work Injury Claims with Flight Benefits
Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, United Airlines is one of the largest airlines in North America and a founding member of the Star Alliance. It merged with Continental Airlines in 2010.
United Airlines employs more than 85,000 people and transported more than 158 million passengers last year. It has more than 1300 aircraft and averages more than 5,000 flights per day to hundreds of destinations in 48 countries across five continents.
Operating this many flights and transporting this many passengers results in a fast-paced environment for airline workers. And this type of environment requires airline workers to have to face many potential hazards that can cause injury.
If you’re a United Airlines employee injured on the job, call me for a free consultation: 804-251-1620 or 757-810-5614. Depending on what hub you are based out of and where your injury occurs, you may need to file a workers compensation claim in Virginia.
And as your workers comp attorney I’ll help you get all the benefits you deserve for your on-the-job injury or occupational disease, and negotiate a top-dollar United Airlines workers compensation settlement. All you have to do is call or email me.
List of Hubs for United Airlines
United Airlines has seven hubs:
- Chicago-O’Hare Airport: This is United’s largest hub, servicing the Midwest. United is the busiest airline at this airport.
- Newark: This is United’s main hub for the East Coast, serving roughly 78,000 people per day.
- Washington-Dulles: This is United’s second hub for the East Coast. United has more than half of the market share at Washington Dulles, meaning it is the largest air carrier at this airport.
- Denver: This is United’s hub for the western United States. It is the largest airline at this airport.
- Houston: This is United Airline’s hub for the Southern United States. It is the airport’s largest carrier.
- San Francisco: This is United’s primary hub for the West Coast.
- Los Angeles: This is United’s secondary hub for the West Coast.
The hub you are based out of and where you are in at the time of your flight injury determines what state has jurisdiction over your workers compensation claim with United Airlines.
Virginia Has Jurisdiction Over Many United Airlines Workers Compensation Claims Because of the Hub at Washington Dulles Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport is located in Loudoun County and Fairfax County, both of which are in Virginia.
United Airlines and its regional partners operate more than 225 daily flights out of Washington Dulles. This includes both domestic flights and flights to Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada, and Asia.
These flights carry roughly 20,000 passengers per day, meaning United Airlines transports more than 7 million passengers at Washington Dulles each year.
To serve these flights and passengers United Airlines employs close to 6,000 employees in the Virginia-Washington DC – Maryland area. And many more airline employees who live elsewhere but are based out of Washington Dulles.
Virginia workers compensation laws govern your United Airlines work injury claim if your employment contract states that you are based out of Washington Dulles and you are hurt on the job. This is true even if you live out of state or are injured on a flight in another state or country..
The Virginia Workers Compensation Commission also has jurisdiction over your case if you are a United Airlines employee based elsewhere who gets hurt while in a flight over Virginia or while on a layover in the state.
And hiring a top-rated United Airlines workers comp attorney with experience handling Virginia claims will put you in the best position to get the wage loss, medical, and disability benefits you deserve.
Workers Comp Benefits for United Airlines Employees
Depending on the severity of your injury you may be entitled to many types of workers compensation benefits. Possible benefits for injured United Airlines employees include:
- Lifetime Medical Benefits: If you prove that you suffered an injury covered under the Workers Compensation Act, United Airlines is responsible for the payment of all reasonable and necessary medical care related to the injury. But even if you have a lifetime medical award you may still have to deal with medical treatment denials. For example, employers often dispute the need for lumbar fusion surgery, even if you have proven a covered spinal cord injury or herniated disc, because the surgery is expensive.
- Temporary Total Disability Benefits: If your authorized treating physician keeps you out of all work, or if you are released to light duty work but United Airlines is unwilling to accommodate your restrictions, you may qualify for temporary total disability benefits. These are paid as a percentage of your pre-injury average weekly wage. But those of you who are high wage earners, such as air line pilots, may receive less because of monetary caps in Virginia.
- Permanent Partial Disability Benefits: When you reach maximum medical improvement (MMI) for your work injury, you should get a permanent impairment rating that addresses the loss of use of the injured body part. You can use this rating to get compensation for permanent disability resulting from your United Airlines work injury.
- Vocational Rehabilitation and Training: I’ve represented many airline employees who were not allowed to work light duty for more than a few months, even though they wanted to. If you’re hurt on the job but are not given a position that accommodates your restrictions, you may be entitled to vocational rehabilitation at United Airline’s expense so that you can try to get back in the labor force.
Additional Legal Options for United Airlines Employees Hurt on the Job
If you are a United Airlines employee injured on the job, you may have many options to receive compensation for your disability. You can pursue these options at the same time you pursue workmans comp.
For example, you may qualify for long term disability or Social Security Disability if you are unable to perform your job duties because of injury or occupational illness. But make sure you hire an experienced United Airlines workers comp attorney to address any potential Social Security Disability or Long Term Disability offset when negotiating settlement. Otherwise you may forfeit tens of thousands of dollars.
You may also have a personal injury case if you were injured by someone else’s negligence and that person is not a co-worker.
For example, if a passenger attacks you on a flight you may file a negligence action under tort law in circuit court while receiving workers comp benefits for a workplace assault. Or if you’re hurt in a car accident while being shuttled to an airport between flights, you may try to negotiate a motor vehicle accident settlement.
Just make sure you address the workers comp lien if you have a third party claim for which you also received benefits from United Airlines.
Other Things to Consider for United Airlines Employees Who Belong to Labor Unions to Consider When Litigating a Workers Comp Claim or Negotiating Settlement
More than 75% of United Airlines’ employees are union members. So if you’re a United Airline employee reading this article because you were hurt on the job, chances are good that you belong to one of the following labor unions:
- Unite Here: This labor union represents airline caterers, which are usually employed by third party contractors but United is the exception because of its merger with Continental.
- International Association of Machinists
- International Brotherhood of Teamsters: This labor union also represents many truck drivers, including some who work for UPS.
- Association of Flight Attendants: I’ve represented many injured flight attendants at a number of airlines, including not only United Airlines flight attendants but also flight attendants with American Airlines and Delta.
- Air Line Pilots Association: Many air line pilots are entitled to both workers comp and long term disability benefits if they are hurt on the job.
And as a labor union member you are a party to a collective bargaining agreement (CBA). This is the written agreement between United Airlines and your labor union setting forth the conditions of your employment, including pay rates and work hours.
The CBA may also put restrictions on whether you can work for another employer or yourself while employed by United Airlines. This can lead to conflict if you are not under an open award of benefits and required to look for light duty work to receive workmans comp payments because United Airlines refuses to offer light duty. It’s important to call an experienced United Airlines work injury attorney in this situation.
The CBA should also cover fringe benefits, including retirement benefits, pension payments, long term disability benefits, and flight benefits.
When negotiating your United Airlines workers comp settlement, I can help you protect your vested rights under the applicable CBA. And make sure you keep your flight benefits even if you sign a resignation and release as a term of settlement.
Common On-the-Job Injuries and Illnesses Suffered by United Airlines Employees
Whether you are a baggage handler, ticket counter agent, caterer, fueler, mechanic, maintenance team member, flight attendant, pilot, or cargo handler, you face many hazards on the job.
I’ve helped airline employees obtain workers comp benefits for the following injuries:
- Traumatic Brain Injury from slip and fall accidents, resulting in concussions and post-concussion syndrome
- Ankle Injury
- Back Injury from heavy lifting
- Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) when a nerve injury doesn’t heal
- Depression from pain and inability to work
- Exposure to Toxic Chemicals and Fumes
- Knee Injury, including Torn ACL, when tripped by a passenger hauling luggage
- Hearing Loss
- Hip Injury from a car accident while on the job
- Neck Injury from being thrown against the wall because of turbulence
- Shoulder Injury, including Torn Rotator Cuff, from pulling a heavy cart
- And more
No matter the type of injury suffered while working for United Airlines, I can help you.
What Law Firms Defend United Airlines Workers Comp Claims in Virginia?
Though United Airlines is a self-insured employer, it often uses a third-party claims administrator (TPA) and defense counsel to defend workmans comp claims. The TPA and firms used may change over time, depending on many factors. But they all have one goal: to minimize the amount of money United Airlines must pay you for your work injury.
Recently Sedgwick Claims Management Services has administered United Airlines workers comp claims in Virginia. And the law firm of Franklin & Prokopik out of Northern Virginia has defended them.
I am familiar with both Sedgwick and this law firm. And I can help you resolve your United Airlines work injury claim – whether it involves appealing a denied claim, handling a nurse case manager or vocational rehabilitation counselor, obtaining an award agreement, presenting your case at a workers compensation hearing, resisting an appeal by the employer, or negotiating a full and final settlement.
Hurt on the Job? Call a Top-Rated United Airlines Workmans Comp Lawyer Today
Virginia has a no-fault workers compensation system, meaning you do not need to prove that your employer’s negligence caused your occupational accident and injury.
But you still have to prove that you suffered an injury by accident arising out of and in the course of your employment. And that you have current disability because of your injury.
Even then, you may still have to prove that you conducted a good faith job search within your residual work capacity to collect income replacement benefits. And this sometimes conflicts with your labor union’s collective bargaining agreement.
As if these requirements aren’t difficult enough, you may also have to deal with a defense attorney looking for ways to deny you the benefits you deserve.
Don’t take on the workers comp system alone. Call me for a free consultation if you’re looking for an experienced United Airlines workers comp attorney who handles claims in Virginia: 804-251-1620 or 757-810-5614. No matter where you live or where you were hurt, I can help.
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