Flight Attendant Workers Compensation In Illinois

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Airline employees put in a lot of hard work to get people to their desired destinations. There are a lot of moving parts within an airport and especially on an airplane. Arguably the most important personnel are flight attendants. They have a multitude of responsibilities on and off the airplane. Unfortunately, with this high level of responsibility, comes more opportunity for work-related injuries. Often, these injuries will allow for compensation covered by the employer.

What Happened?

There are several ways to get injured working as a flight attendant. There are the more common injuries that are sustained from:

1. Turbulence
2. Lifting baggage
3. Unruly customers
4. Food & beverage carts
5. Improper Maintenance

Then there are the more unfamiliar injuries that flight attendants may not be aware they can file a claim for. These include injuries sustained from:

1. Activities during a layover
2. Airport transportation
3. Poor weather conditions

It is important to note, that not all injuries sustained must happen on the job or on airport property. You could be enjoying your layover by eating dinner downtown Chicago, and you abruptly get hit by a car or fall on a sidewalk. Both scenarios have potential to be a valid workers’ compensation claims in Illinois. In fact, you could be doing a tourist activity on a layover, get hurt and have a case.

Where are you?

Workers’ compensation claims for flight attendants, or any traveling airline employee, can often be more complicated due to the mobile aspect of their job. When a work-related injury occurs, it can be confusing to know who can file claims where. What if you aren’t a resident of Illinois but got hurt here? What if you are a resident of Illinois but got hurt in another state?

The following scenarios would allow a claim in Illinois:

1. The employee is based in Illinois.
2. The employee was hired in Illinois.
3. The injury occurred in Illinois whether you are on the clock or on a layover.
4. Most United Airlines flight attendants due to their union contract.

Next steps?

If you think that you qualify as one or more of the bullet points above, and you sustained an injury, you likely have a claim for workers’ compensation. You would be entitled to medical treatment, loss time benefits and a settlement for the extent of your injury. Airlines like United, Southwest, American, Delta, etc. fight these cases hard and often will try to tell you that you can’t bring your case in Illinois because the laws here are so strong for injured workers. Don’t trust them or take legal advice from them. The insurance adjuster’s goal is to limit your compensation even if that means illegally denying your claim.

We can tell you your rights and help you make the best decision for your case. If you’d like a free, confidential consultation with an experienced lawyer, please contact us any time.