Articles Posted in Work Injury

Attorney General Martha Coakley’s Office announced last week that an agreement has been reached that will prevent an increase in rates paid by businesses for workers’ compensation insurance in Massachusetts until September of 2012. The Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau of Massachusetts (WCRIBMA), the organization that oversees workers’ compensation rates in Massachusetts, had proposed a 6.6 percent increase in premiums.

Coakley claims that by freezing these rates instead of increasing them, Massachusetts employers will save up to $65 million. Coakley said “The industry’s request to raise rates could not have come at a worse time for small businesses in Massachusetts…We told the industry that we believed the rate was unjustified and that we would litigate to stop it.” Although the agreement still needs approval from state regulators, President of WCRIBMA, Paul Meagher, said “with the economic recovery just beginning to gain traction, the workers’ compensation insurance industry is willing to assist Massachusetts employers by waiting another year before requesting a rate increase.”

These rates for workers’ compensation insurance are negotiated and set approximately every other year in a hearing before the Commissioner of Insurance. Coakley’s office will also be able to review this year’s insurance data before determining whether a further rate freeze will also be necessary in 2012. Businesses in Massachusetts are obligated to purchase workers’ compensation insurance to provide coverage for workers injured on the job and their lost wages.

If you have been injured at work or have a question regarding a workers’ compensation case, our experienced lawyers can help. Please do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.

Sources:

Deal will keep Mass. workers comp rates flat, BusinessWeek, The Associated Press, March 2, 2011
Agreement Leaves Massachusetts Workers’ Comp Rates Flat, Insurance Journal, March 2, 2011 Continue reading

Paul Newcomb, a Rutland firefighter, was injured on the job while on ambulance duty. He ruptured a disc in his back when lifting a patient into an ambulance on February 2, 2010, and has since been out of work. After an operation to remove the disc and implant titanium rods in his back, his doctors told him that he could no longer work as a firefighter.

Because he was injured on the job while working on an ambulance, the town of Rutland is trying to switch the cost of his salary from the funds of the town to workers’ compensation insurance by arguing that he was working as a paramedic, not a firefighter. In Rutland, and a few other cities in Massachusetts, firefighters are required to work, without a difference in job titles or pay, as paramedics or emergency medical technicians.

Edward Kelly, Interim President of Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts, said that the Rutland officials are “maliciously interpreting the intent of the law which protects police and firefighters who are injured in the line of duty…And to victimize this firefighter and his family is an insult to the firefighters of Rutland and the people of the town.” Newcomb, who says that he would lose about 40 percent of his income before he eventually retires on disability, said that “Of course, I’m looking out for myself and my family first…But I also have to think about all the other firefighters who could be affected by this.”

The issue remains unresolved despite an executive session meeting between the City of Rutland and Newcomb. About 30 firefighters from Worcester, Shrewsbury, Holden, and Rutland, showed up to support Newcomb. Some of these firefighters voiced their opinions and are worried about how the law can be interpreted to mean that they are not covered if working in an ambulance.

With over 25 years of experience representing workers’ compensation clients who have suffered from injuries on the job, our experienced lawyers can help you. If you have a question in regards to a workers’ compensation case and would like a free consultation, please feel free to contact us.

Source:

Rutland firefighter’s injury case has wide-reaching implications, Telegram & Gazette, February 25, 2011 Continue reading

Winter continues to be a work hazard in Massachusetts. A young man who was hired to shovel snow off of the Antico Industrial Park roofs in Waltham, fell approximately 25 feet through a skylight at 108 Clematis Avenue. The young man who is in his early twenties remains unidentified. He survived the fall with only minor injuries and was conscious upon arrival of the emergency crew. He was taken to Beth Isreal Deaconess Hospital.

According to Waltham Fire Deputy Chief, Thomas MacInnis, “Halfway down, he hit a sprinkler pipe, which broke his fall a little, and then he landed on boxes half-full of printed material. That definitely broke his fall, so he was kind of lucky.”

Our experienced attorneys have been working with personal injury and workers’ compensation victims for over 40 years. If you have a question or would like a free consultation, feel free to contact us and speak to one of our attorneys.

Sources:

Man Clearing Snow Falls Through Window in Waltham, WalthamPatch, February 10, 2011
Man falls through skylight while clearing Waltham roof of snow, Wicked Local Waltham, February 11, 2011 Continue reading