While Missouri workers compensation laws are established to reduce legal red tape and litigation, there are instances where a lawsuit is in the best interests of the injured worker. This is especially the case when a third party is involved — for example, when company A is negligent on a construction site, causing injury to an employee of company B. To work through the complexities of a situation such as these, the counsel of a southwest Missouri workers compensation lawyer is a necessity.

The way the law treats third party claims can be complicated. What an employer does often overlaps with what other companies do, so when an accident occurs, fault and liability are subject to dispute.

Who might the third parties be? The construction scenario provides the most obvious example. However, third-party workers compensation claims might apply in several other types of situations as well:

• Dangerous building – If the workplace is rented to your employer, the property owner might be liable for a hazardous condition on the premises.
• Dangerous product – If a product or equipment used in the workplace is hazardous and caused injury, the manufacturer might be found liable.
• Medical mistake – If a physician or other health care provider mistreats the injured worker, he or she could be responsible.
• Poor inspection/enforcement – If a regulator either overlooks or fails to enforce the repair of a hazard, the individual or agency could be liable for an injury.

Benefits from standard workers comp programs are typically less than the worker earned before the accident. That is why many people injured on the job choose the Ryan E. Murphy Law Firm LLC in Springfield, a firm that works on behalf of injured parties, to achieve fair and necessary compensation.