Knoxville Firefighter Injuries Lawyers

Helping injured firefighters in Eastern Tennessee for 30 years

Firefighters are first responders who are called to save lives and property when fires get out of control. They work to extinguish fires, stop the spread of fires, and rescue anyone who might be trapped or in danger. Risks of the job include exposure to fires, dangerous toxins, excessive heat, and smoke. Firefighters can be injured when structures collapse or suffer injuries in traffic accidents as they rush to the site of the fire. At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville firefighter injury lawyers have the experience and medical relationships to help injured and ill firefighters obtain their full workers’ compensation benefits. We’ll explain what benefits you’re entitled to, work aggressively to obtain them, and fight any effort by the insurance companies to reduce or terminate your benefits. Call us today to assert your rights.

How can we help?

How do your Knoxville lawyers help injured firefighters?

At Banks & Jones, we anticipate and counter insurance company strategies to deny, reduce, or terminate your claim. We also work to secure the best recovery possible. Our work includes:

  • Filing your formal Tennessee workers’ compensation claims quickly
  • Showing what injuries you have, the treatments, you’ll need, your long-term prognosis, and the cost of your treatments
  • Responding to employer efforts that argue:
    • Your injuries were caused by a pre-existing accident or event
    • You assumed the risk of danger – which is not a defense in work injury cases in Tennessee
    • You’re ready to return to work when you’re not
  • Confirming that you have a permanent disability that prevents you from working and the disability warrants a high impairment score
  • Negotiating lump sum settlements so you can control the money and not the insurance company

What types of injuries do firefighters suffer in Knoxville?

Firefighters are at risk for many different types of injuries. The good news is that firefighters who are hurt while doing their job can’t be denied benefits due to their own negligence and they don’t have to show someone else was negligent.

At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville firefighter injury lawyers represent firefighters who suffer:

  • Burn injuries
  • Respiratory injuries
  • Smoke inhalation injuries
  • Traumatic amputation/loss of limb
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Falls from ladders or scaffolds
  • Heart failure
  • Back, neck, or shoulder injuries
  • Spinal cord injuries
  • Nerve, ligament, tissue, or muscle injuries
  • Permanent scarring or disfigurement
  • Electrical shock or other electrical injuries
  • Slip and fall injuries
  • Exposure to dangerous chemicals and toxins

What types of occupational illness claims can firefighters file in Knoxville?

Some of the illnesses and diseases that firefighters in Knoxville experience include:

  • Cancer
  • Osteoarthritis
  • Sleep disorders
  • Hearing loss
  • Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychological illnesses

Other illnesses due to firefighting include heart disease, asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other respiratory illnesses, skin disorders, asbestosis, and other diseases.

Our Knoxville firefighter injury lawyers file occupational illness claims. We’re skilled at showing that your illness was due to your work as a firefighter and not to other causes.

What medical benefits can firefighters claim if they’re injured or become ill on the job?

Firefighters place their lives at risk every day. When they need medical care for their injuries or illnesses, they deserve the right to focus on their medical needs and not worry how their bills will be paid. Firefighters who are eligible for Tennessee workers’ compensation benefits are entitled to have all their reasonable and necessary medical bills paid. These bills include ER care, burn center care, hospitalizations, surgeries, rehabilitative therapy, psychological care, assistive technology, and medications.

The medical coverage applies while you’re trying to improve your health and keep your medical condition stable. We’ll work with your doctors while your claim is pending.

Our Knoxville firefighter injury lawyers will explain if and when volunteer firefighters might be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits including medical coverage.

What temporary and permanent disability benefits can Knoxville firefighters receive?

The two types of wage loss benefits are:

Temporary disability benefits. Firefighters are entitled to two-thirds of their average weekly wages (subject to some caps) while they can’t work and while they seek medical care to improve their health. These wage loss benefits continue until the firefighter reaches the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI) – the time when more medical care won’t improve the firefighter’s health.

Permanent disability benefits. Many firefighters still can’t work even though they’ve reached MMI. Our lawyers are skilled at showing that you can’t return to work. We’ll help you obtain the permanent disability benefits you deserve, which are two-thirds of your average weekly wages (subject to caps).

At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville workers’ compensation lawyers work to obtain your wage loss benefits and contest any effort by the insurance companies to reduce or terminate these benefits.

Are there any unique concerns when firefighters file workers’ compensation claims in Knoxville?

At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville firefighter injury attorneys understand the unique challenges involved in handling work injury claims for firefighters. These challenges include:

  • PTSD presumption. In May 2023, the Tennessee General Assembly passed a law to help firefighters who develop PTSD. The legislation provides that there is a presumption that firefighters who have PTSD developed their condition through their work and thus should be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The legislation requires that the firefighters:
    • Witnessed the death of a minor or treating a minor who later died or witnessing a death or injury that “shocks the conscience.”
    • Responded to an incident in which a co-worker or family member of a responder sustained bodily injury or died.
  • Heart disease and hypertension. Tennessee law provides for a rebuttable presumption that eligible firefighters who suffer hypertension, heart disease, or death in the line of duty were doing the job when their condition or death occurred.
  • Death benefits. The spouses and dependents of firefighters who die on the job are entitled to a percentage of the average weekly wages of the firefighter. We’ll explain what percentage applies based on your relationship to your loved one. The family is also entitled to up to $10,000 for funeral and burial costs.
  • Additional death benefits of $250,000. The estate of a Knoxville firefighter who dies while doing their job is entitled to an additional $250,000. The $250,000 is paid in five installments of $50,000 each year for five years.
  • Vocational benefits. Firefighters who can’t return to their old jobs may be entitled to education and training benefits to learn new skills for a less demanding job.
  • Partial disability. Adjustments to your wage loss benefits are made if you can work with some restrictions.

In Knoxville, “the City both self-insures and self-administers all workers’ compensation and liability claims, so that the City acts much like its own insurance company.”

Do you have a Knoxville firefighter workers’ compensation lawyer near me?

At Banks & Jones, we meet workers at our Knoxville office located at 2125 Middlebrook Pike. We understand that many injuries are so severe that firefighters can’t come to our office. That’s why we also meet firefighters at healthcare facilities and their homes when necessary. Video conferences and phone calls are also an option.

We’ll explain all your rights, answer all your questions, and prepare you for the claims process.

Talk to our accomplished Knoxville workers’ compensation lawyers today

Injured and ill firefighters deserve to be paid for their medical bills and all the wage benefits Tennessee law permits. At Banks & Jones, we move fast to file your claim and negotiate for the full benefits you deserve. We work with your doctors to show what medical care you need. We anticipate and counter the attempts by the insurance companies to deny or limit your claim. Please call us or use our contact form today to schedule a free consultation.

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