Workers Compensation Lawyer Parramatta
At NSW based W.D. Hunt & Associates our workers compensation lawyers we are well versed and experienced in Workers Compensation claims under the New South Wales legislation and we specialise in helping workers suffering from severe and traumatic injuries as a result of a workplace accident.
The driving force behind our Firm is Wendy Hunt, a Law Society Accredited Specialist in Personal Injury Law, who has been a member of the Westmead Hospital Legal Panel for over a decade advising patients on their rights to make a compensation claim for workplace injuries. Complimenting this invaluable experience is Wendy’s previous career as a Social Welfare Worker that has given her insight into the difficulties faced when people suffer a work related injury.
Our Firm prides itself on maximising our client’s compensation claim. It is not enough for us to achieve compensation for you, but rather to obtain the best possible amount of compensation that reflects your injuries and the pain and suffering you have experienced.
To ensure that we achieve the best workers compensation result for our clients we rely on an amazing team which includes expert medical practitioners in NSW who are truly independent and are approved by either the Workers Compensation Commission and/or the Motor Accidents Authority as Approved medical practitioners qualified to provide assessments of Whole Person Impairment. These include; Associate Professor Michael Fearnside who specialises in Neurosurgery, Dr Patricia Jungfer Consultant Psychiatrist who specialises in brain injury, Dr Stephen Buckley, Rehabilitation Specialist; Dr Peter Conrad General Surgeon, Dr Alan Searle Orthopaedic Surgeon and many more specialists highly qualified and regarded in their field of expertise.
We have vast experience in conducting claims for people with varied injuries such as the following:
- Traumatic Brain Injury;
- Catastrophic injuries;
- Spinal cord injuries;
- Paediatric spinal cord injury;
- Paediatric brain injury;
- Paediatric orthopaedic injury;
- Amputations;
- Psychological injury;
- Lumbar spine injuries;
- Cervical spine injuries;
- Shoulder injuries;
- Upper and lower limb injuries;
- Plantar fasciitis and other foot injuries;
- Repetitive strain injuries;
- Complex Regional Pain syndrome;
- Hearing loss;
- Eye sight injuries;
- Dust Diseases related injuries;
- Sexual dysfunction following injury;
- Bladder and bowel dysfunction following injury.
We can also refer you to Rehabilitation Providers and frequently refer to Australian Rehabilitation Works and other independent rehabilitation providers. You have the right to select your own Rehabilitation Provider rather than accept whom the insurer has referred you to attend upon, and who may have a commercial relationship with the insurer, making the insurer “the client” and not you. We also have case workers and psychologists who we can refer you to, to assist with the ongoing management of your claim.
In New South Wales workers who suffer an injury at work may be eligible to receive valuable compensation for their injury. However, the amount of compensation they receive depends on the severity of their injuries and their assessment of Whole Person Impairment. A worker may be entitled to other benefits, for example:
- Weekly compensation payments;
- Medical treatment expenses and other treatment expenses for physiotherapy, medication, travelling to and from treatment providers;
- Rehabilitation – workers have the right to request and to select their own rehabilitation provider, and one without a commercial relationship with an insurer.
- Lump sum compensation for impairment provided there is an assessable Whole Person Impairment.
- Compensation for Pain and Suffering – if the assessable Whole Person Impairment exceeds 10%.
Under the Workers Compensation Act you only need prove that your injury occurred at work, or on the way to or from work, and that the substantial major cause of your injury was work related. There is no need to prove that your employer was negligent, however if your employer was negligent and this negligence caused your injury, you may be entitled to bring a Work Injury Damages Claim if your Whole Person Impairment exceeds 15%.
A Work Injury Damages Claim is a claim for economic loss. This varies from a Workers Compensation Claim as a wages claim under this Act is capped to a statutory amount which is usually far less than your average weekly wage that you would have earned if your injury had not occurred and is paid each fortnight. A Work Injury Damages Claim allows you to claim your actual net loss resulting from your injury, both for the past and future, together with loss of Superannuation. The benefit of this type of claim is that you may receive a large lump sum payment for your economic loss, rather than receiving reduced wages on a fortnightly basis.
If liability in a matter is disputed we have access to Forensic Engineers who can provide simulations and/or reports on how the accident occurred. We use only the most experienced barristers with specialist knowledge in the area of personal injury, many of whom are from Jack Shand Chambers, one of the most prestigious chambers in Sydney with a selection of Queens Counsel and other Senior Counsel who are exceptional at maximising your claim.
If you are conducting a Workers Compensation Claim the insurer will pay for your legal costs and you will not be charged any further costs in relation to our professional costs. If you are conducting a Work Injury Damages Claim then we need to enter into a costs agreement with you and we will conduct your claim on a No Win/No Fee basis. We will also pay for your disbursements upfront on your behalf.
To discuss your rights to compensation and for an assessment of the amount of compensation you may be entitled to receive, contact Wendy at W.D. Hunt & Associates to arrange your free face-to-face conference.
Call her on (02) 9689 1822 or email her directly.
