Do I have an Ohio Workmans Comp claim AND a personal injury or insurance claim?

Understanding Your Legal Options

Many clients contact us after being involved in an auto accident or car crash while on the job. This can create a confusing situation due to the different parties often involved.

This article aims to clarify some of that confusion. However, a careful review of your individual case is strongly recommended, as this article only touches on a few common issues.

Bringing Multiple Claims

Personal Injury and Workers' Comp

Sometimes it is appropriate for an injured employee to bring a claim with the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC) as well as a claim against a negligent party who caused the accident.

Additionally, it may be appropriate to bring a claim with the worker’s own car insurance company. This could involve medical payments coverage and/or underinsured or uninsured motorist coverage. Many of our clients have two claims, or files, open at the same time, running simultaneously.

BWC's Right to Reimbursement

Where an injured worker’s bills and/or wages are paid for by the Ohio BWC, and they also have a claim with a separate insurance company or negligent party, the BWC has a legal right to receive reimbursement from a settlement or award.

Where an injured worker’s bills and/or wages are paid for by the Ohio BWC and he or she has a claim with a separate insurance company or negligent party, the BWC has a legal right to receive reimbursement from a settlement or award.

This happens quite regularly when an injured worker is hurt in an auto accident, the BWC pays for the medical care and lost wages, and then the injured worker later settles with the negligent driver’s insurance company. The results can be good for the injured worker under such circumstances, and the settlement of the personal injury claim does not close the workers' comp claim.

The Importance of Experienced Counsel

It is important to have an attorney who is experienced in both workers’ compensation and personal injury cases when these situations arise.

Serving All Of Ohio

McKenzie & Snyder LLP represents injured workers and accident victims statewide — all 88 Ohio counties. Our Hamilton office is the base we work from, and rural families and small-town Ohioans are who we serve.

Communities We Help

• Hamilton
• Middletown
• Oxford
• Trenton
• Fairfield
• Cincinnati
• Dayton
• Toledo
• Canton
• Youngstown
• Akron
• Lima
• Bellefontaine
• Sandusky
• East Liverpool
• Steubenville
• Cambridge
• Zanesville
• Chillicothe
• Portsmouth
• Gallipolis
• Hillsboro
• Athens

Counties We Serve

• Butler County
• Preble County
• Clermont County
• Wyandot County
• Crawford County
• Richland County
• Muskingum County
• Guernsey County
• Belmont County
• Pike County
• Scioto County
• Fayette County
• Ross County
• Mahoning County
• Summit County
• Lucas County
• Allen County
• Stark County
• Jefferson County
• Adams County

Injured somewhere else in Ohio? We take cases statewide.