Workers’ Compensation
Fighting for injured workers across the Southeastern United States. Medical benefits, lost wages, disability, and denied claims.
Free Case ReviewA workplace injury can upend everything — your health, your paycheck, and your family’s security. Workers’ compensation exists to protect injured employees, but the system is rarely as simple as it sounds. Claims are denied, benefits are delayed, and injured workers are pressured to return to work before they are ready. At Maples, Connick & Brendel, we represent injured workers across the Southeastern United States, standing up to employers and insurance carriers to secure the benefits our clients have earned.
What Workers’ Compensation Covers
Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. You do not have to prove your employer did something wrong — only that you were injured in the course and scope of your employment. In exchange, benefits are generally limited to specific categories defined by state law, including:
Medical Treatment — All reasonable and necessary medical care related to your work injury, including doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, physical therapy, prescription medication, and medical devices.
Lost Wage Benefits — Temporary total disability (TTD), temporary partial disability (TPD), and in some cases permanent benefits when you cannot work or can only return in a limited capacity.
Permanent Disability Benefits — Compensation for lasting impairment when your injury results in permanent physical limitations, whether partial or total.
Vocational Rehabilitation — Job retraining or placement assistance when your injuries prevent you from returning to your previous occupation.
Death Benefits — Wage replacement and funeral expenses for the surviving spouse and dependents of a worker killed on the job.
Common Workplace Injuries We Handle
Our attorneys handle workers’ compensation claims arising from a wide range of industries and injury types, including:
Construction and Industrial Injuries — Falls from heights, struck-by and caught-in accidents, electrocutions, and crush injuries common on job sites throughout the Gulf Coast’s construction, shipping, and petrochemical industries.
Back, Neck, and Spinal Injuries — Herniated discs, lumbar strains, and cervical injuries from heavy lifting, repetitive motion, or traumatic impact — among the most commonly contested workers’ comp claims.
Repetitive Stress and Occupational Injuries — Carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tears, and other injuries that develop over time from repeated job-related motions.
Occupational Illnesses — Hearing loss, respiratory disease from chemical or dust exposure, and other illnesses caused by long-term workplace conditions.
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Catastrophic Injuries — Severe injuries that require lifetime medical care and permanently alter a worker’s ability to earn a living.
Wrongful Death on the Job — Fatal workplace accidents that leave families to navigate both grief and financial uncertainty.
Why Workers’ Comp Claims Get Denied — and How We Fight Back
Workers’ compensation insurance carriers deny claims for all kinds of reasons, some legitimate and many not. Common denial tactics include:
Disputing whether the injury occurred at work or in the course of employment. Claiming the injury was a pre-existing condition rather than a work-related one. Arguing the worker failed to report the injury within the required time frame. Sending the worker to a doctor who minimizes the injury or clears them for work prematurely. Cutting off wage benefits by claiming the worker is capable of returning to suitable employment.
When a claim is denied or benefits are terminated, the injured worker has the right to challenge that decision. We file the necessary administrative disputes, gather medical evidence, depose adjusters and treating physicians, and present your case at hearing when required.
Third-Party Claims: When You Have More Than a Workers’ Comp Case
Workers’ compensation is generally your exclusive remedy against your employer. But if a third party — a subcontractor, a property owner, a product manufacturer, or a negligent driver — caused or contributed to your injury, you may have a separate personal injury claim in addition to your workers’ comp benefits.
Third-party claims often recover damages that workers’ comp does not, including full lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of quality of life. Because our firm handles both workers’ compensation and personal injury, we can evaluate every angle of your case and pursue every source of recovery available to you.
State-by-State Differences
Workers’ compensation is governed by state law, and the rules differ significantly across the Southeastern United States. Each state has its own administrative process, choice-of-physician rules, reporting deadlines, benefit calculations, and standards for what injuries qualify as compensable. In some states, claims are handled through dedicated workers’ compensation agencies; in others, they are filed in circuit court. Reporting and filing deadlines are short — often as little as 30 days to notify your employer and one year to file a formal claim — and they are strictly enforced.
An attorney who practices across the region understands how to navigate these differences and identify procedural traps that can cost unrepresented workers their benefits.
How We Handle Your Case
From the first phone call, our goal is to take the pressure off of you so you can focus on recovery. That means:
Ensuring your injury is properly reported and documented. Helping you get to the right doctors and protecting your right to appropriate medical care. Calculating the wage benefits you are owed and challenging underpayments. Communicating with the insurance adjuster so they are not pressuring you directly. Filing disputes, preparing for mediations, and representing you at hearing if the claim cannot be resolved. Identifying any third-party claims that may add to your recovery.
You Don’t Pay Unless We Recover
Workers’ compensation attorney fees are regulated by state law across the Southeastern United States, and in every state we handle these cases on a contingency basis. You pay no upfront fee, and our fee is a percentage of the benefits we recover — subject to the caps set by statute and approval by the court or board.
Serving Injured Workers Across the Gulf Coast
With offices in New Orleans, Mobile, and Atlanta, we represent injured workers throughout the Southeastern United States — from oil and gas workers on the Gulf to construction crews in metro Atlanta to warehouse and manufacturing employees across the region.
If you have been hurt on the job, contact us today for a free, confidential case review.
Our Workers’ Compensation Services
Denied Workers' Comp Claims
Had your workers' compensation claim denied or cut off? We appeal denied claims across the Southeastern United States to get benefits back on track.
Learn MoreBack & Spinal Injuries at Work
Back and spinal injuries are among the most common — and most contested — workers' comp claims. We fight to secure the care and benefits injured workers deserve.
Learn MoreRepetitive Stress & Occupational Injuries
Not every work injury happens in a single moment. We handle workers' comp claims for repetitive stress injuries and occupational illnesses that develop over time.
Learn MoreOffshore & Maritime Injuries
Injured on a vessel, dock, or offshore platform? Maritime and longshore claims follow different rules than state workers' comp. We handle both.
Learn MoreThird-Party Work Injury Claims
Workers' comp isn't always your only remedy. When a third party caused your workplace injury, we pursue full compensation beyond what comp provides.
Learn MorePermanent Disability Claims
When a work injury leaves lasting impairment, we fight to secure the permanent disability benefits and settlement our clients have earned.
Learn MoreFatal Workplace Accidents & Death Benefits
When a worker is killed on the job, surviving family members have rights under both workers' comp and in some cases third-party law. We help families navigate both.
Learn MoreFrequently Asked Questions
Report your injury to your employer in writing as soon as possible — ideally the same day. Reporting deadlines vary by state across the Southeastern United States and can be very short, sometimes as little as a few days. Missing the notice deadline is one of the most common reasons claims are denied, so do not delay, even if you think the injury is minor.
It is illegal across the Southeastern United States to fire or retaliate against an employee for filing a good-faith workers’ compensation claim. If you believe you were terminated because of your claim, you may have a separate retaliation or wrongful discharge case in addition to your workers’ comp benefits. Document everything and contact us right away.
Do not assume a denial is the final word. Insurance carriers routinely deny legitimate claims, and many denials are reversed through the appeals process. Contact an attorney as soon as you receive a denial so deadlines are preserved, medical evidence is gathered, and the proper disputes are filed. We handle denied claims across the Southeastern United States.