Knoxville School Teacher Injuries Lawyers

Skilled advocacy when Tennessee teachers are injured in and outside of the classroom

Public school and private school teachers help children and adults of all ages grow through learning. While there are countless rewards for teachers, such as watching minds develop, there are also risks. Most of these risks are physical. Some risks are emotional. The risks include dangers in the classrooms and activities away from the classroom, such as preschool or after-school activities. At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville school teacher injury lawyers help teachers who suffer injuries due to exposure to toxins, violence, accumulated stress, or a slip and fall receive full compensation for their medical expenses, wage losses while they’re recovering, and permanent disability coverage. We’re ready to help you obtain the strong financial recovery you deserve. Call us today.

How can we help?

How do your Knoxville workers’ compensation lawyers fight for injured teachers?

At Banks & Jones, we’ve been fighting for injured workers for 30 years. Some of the ways we help Knoxville teachers obtain the full benefits they deserve include:

  • Promptly filing your claim for workers’ compensation benefits
  • Discussing with your doctors what injuries you have, your prognosis, the type of care you will need, and the cost of your medical care
  • Contesting insurance company strategies to deny your claim, such as that your injuries are due to a pre-existing condition
  • Showing that you qualify for permanent disability benefits
  • Negotiating lump sum settlements when you reach the permanent disability stage of your workers’ compensation claim

What types of injuries and illnesses do teachers suffer in Knoxville?

Teachers at Knoxville’s numerous grade schools (public and private) and colleges, including the University of Tennessee, can suffer injuries in many ways. At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville school teacher injury lawyers handle the following types of accidents and injuries:

  • Slip and fall accidents. Every day teachers spend time in their classrooms, teacher’s lounges, the hallways, parking lots, and the school cafeteria. Many teachers also participate in extra-curricular activities. Every step can cause a teacher to slip, trip, or fall. Teachers can fall due to objects on floors, spilled liquids, torn carpets, loose railings, and other causes. They can fall if they’re outside on uneven surfaces, dirt, and grass. The injuries may include broken bones, head trauma, spinal cord damage, nerve damage, and other injuries. Many of these injuries may result in chronic pain.
  • Toxic and hazardous exposures. Some schools still have asbestos. Many schools have mold and dust. There may be pests, insects, and vermin. Dangerous chemicals can affect Knoxville teachers if the chemicals are swallowed, inhaled, or come into contact with the teacher’s skin. Toxins can cause skin rashes, memory loss, blurred vision, severe headaches, nausea, cramps, muscle spasms, and depression. The toxins can also cause ear, nose, and throat irritations. Severe consequences include cancer, fertility problems, and birth defects.
  • Acts of violence. Violent acts by outsiders and by people within a school may include assaults, lockdowns, shootings, and even death.
  • Repetitive stress injuries. Teachers may suffer injuries due to their daily routines of using computers, writing on chalkboards, grading papers, and other repeat actions. Possible injuries include carpal tunnel syndrome, bursitis, tendonitis, and shoulder injuries. Our Knoxville school teacher injury lawyers are skilled at showing your repetitive stress injuries are due to your teaching activities and not outside causes.
  • Accidents and injuries specific to their jobs. Driver’s education teachers may be involved in a car accident with a novice driver. Chemistry teachers can be burned, shocked, or harmed in many ways. Physical education teachers routinely risk injuries to every part of their body. Even a music teacher can be harmed while illustrating a dance move.

Many teachers also suffer from emotional stress. Teachers have a lot of pressure trying to help students who often need nutrition and attention before they can even begin their day. Teachers must help students imagine and create while also helping them pass standardized tests. Teachers must work with parents and administrators too. Many classrooms are overcrowded. These stresses can cause mental health problems that may require psychological care.

According to Insurance Journal, Tennessee authorizes workers’ compensation for psychological care for up to 104 weeks. Mental injuries are included in the definition of injury. In Tennessee, an employee with a mental injury is “conclusively presumed to be at maximum medical improvement upon the earliest occurrence of the following:

  • At the time the treating psychiatrist concludes the employee has reached maximum medical improvement
  • One hundred four (104) weeks after the date of injury in the case of mental injuries where there is no underlying physical injury”

What medical benefits can teachers claim if they’re injured or become ill?

Workers’ compensation includes payment for all of your medical expenses for as long as you to need see any healthcare provider or receive your medications. Your medical care includes the care you need to maximize your health and the care you need to stabilize your health. Medical bills for injured and ill teachers include ER care, hospital stays, surgeries (hospital and ambulatory), doctor visits, physical therapy, vocational therapy, and all other types of rehabilitative therapy. Medical care covered by workers’ compensation also includes your medications and any assistive devices, such as prosthetics. The cost of travel to receive this care may be covered if your healthcare providers are not nearby.

What temporary and permanent disability benefits can Knoxville police officers receive?

Teachers can receive two types of wage loss benefits:

  • Temporary disability benefits. These are the wage loss benefits you receive from the time of your accident, injury, or illness until you reach the point of maximum medical improvement (MMI) – the point where more treatment isn’t expected to improve your health. The amount of temporary wage loss benefits is two-thirds of your average weekly wages before you were hurt or became ill. Some caps may apply.
  • Permanent disability benefits. When a teacher does reach the point of MMI, an evaluation is made to assess what type of remaining disability you have and the severity (impairment rating) of that disability. The evaluation also analyzes your job skills. If you qualify (you can’t work due to your injuries or illness), then you should receive permanent disability benefits in the amount of two-thirds of your prior average weekly wages (subject to any caps). Are there any unique concerns when teachers file workers’ compensation claims in Knoxville?

Our Knoxville teacher injury lawyers help teachers obtain their full benefits. A few additional issues we address include:

  • Car accident injuries. Generally, teachers are not eligible for workers’ compensation if they are hurt while driving to and from school. You may be eligible if you are in an accident while driving to an extra-curricular activity or a school function away from the school.
  • Partial disability pay. If you can perform some work at a lower pay scale than before your injury/illness – while you are on either temporary or permanent disability – then your benefits are reduced. Your new benefit amount is generally two-thirds of the difference between what you would make if you couldn’t work and your new lower salary.
  • Death benefits. If a teacher dies while working for their employer, the spouse and dependents (children under 16 and actual dependents) are entitled to up a percentage of their loved one’s average weekly wages. We’ll explain how much you are eligible to receive. The amount varies depending on your relationship to the decedent. Up to $10,000 in funeral and burial benefits are also available.
  • Vocational benefits. Teachers may be eligible for vocational benefits if they can be retrained for a different job.

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

At Banks & Jones, we meet teachers at our Knoxville office located at 2125 Middlebrook Pike. We also make arrangements for visits away from the office for clients who are too ill or injured. Phone and video consultations are also options.

We understand how worried you are. Your health and your ability to earn a living are at risk. We’ll explain all your rights and fight for the full compensation you deserve.

Talk with our respected Knoxville workers’ compensation lawyers today

Teachers deserve to receive prompt medical care for their injuries or any illness. They deserve to be paid the temporary and permanent disability benefits they deserve so they can maximize their health, hopefully return to teaching, or have an income if they can’t teach anymore. At Banks & Jones, our Knoxville school teacher injury lawyers have the experience, reputation, and resources to help you obtain the workers’ compensation benefits to which you’re entitled. Call us or complete our contact form to schedule a free consultation. We handle workers’ compensation claims on a contingency fee basis.

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