Some people seem to be naturally graceful. They were born with a sense of where their body is in space, and they improve that spatial awareness by engaging in athletic or other forms of physical training. Sometimes, just working a job that has you on your feet all day can be enough to improve your sense of balance and spatial awareness.
For other people, no amount of physical learning or even new prescription eyeglasses will solve their innate clumsiness. Some people naturally find themselves tripping as they walk on even surfaces or clipping their shoulders or hips on door jams. Many people have to work somewhat dangerous jobs, like careers in medicine, manufacturing or retail, despite their risk of hurting themselves.
If you are an accident-prone individual, will that prevent you from getting workers’ compensation benefits in New Jersey?
No, personal fault does not affect benefits eligibility
Thankfully, workers’ compensation coverage in New Jersey is no-fault protection. Your employer cannot deny you coverage just because your mistake is what caused your injury. So long as your injury occurred at work, you often have a valid claim for benefits. Especially when there is a specific precipitating incident at work, an injured worker can seek medical coverage and wage replacement.
If you have a tendency to trip or run into people, having an incident like that at work that results in an injury can still lead to a successful workers’ compensation benefits claim. Typically, your employer could only challenge your right to benefits if it appears that you hurt yourself on purpose or suffered an injury after violating either the law or company policy.
Most of the time, even if you got ahead of yourself and accidentally cut yourself while working in a kitchen, you can still qualify for both Medical coverage and disability benefits.
Those unfairly denied benefits can appeal
Sometimes, a situation may look like a worker has done something inappropriate when they really have not. Those initially denied benefits in New Jersey can always file an appeal. Learning more about your rights and the rules that apply to workers’ compensation claims can help you get the benefits you need for your recent work injury.