Injured While Caring for Others? We Protect Arizona’s Healthcare Workers.
Nurses, certified nursing assistants (CNAs ), hospital technicians, and home health aides are the backbone of Arizona’s medical system. You spend your days lifting, moving, and caring for patients in high-stress, fast-paced environments. But when you get hurt on the job, the very system you work for often turns its back on you.
If you have suffered an injury while working in a hospital, clinic, or nursing home, you are likely facing mounting medical bills, time away from work, and a deep sense of frustration. You may even be dealing with a hospital administration that is pressuring you to return to work before you are fully healed, or an insurance company that is delaying your benefits.
At Snow, Carpio & Weekley, PLC, we understand the unique physical and emotional toll that healthcare work takes on the body. We have spent decades representing Arizona’s medical professionals, ensuring they receive the full workers’ compensation benefits they are entitled to under the law. You spend your life caring for others—let us take care of you.
Common Healthcare Workplace Injuries We Handle
The physical demands of healthcare work are immense. Our firm has extensive experience handling claims involving:
- Patient Handling Injuries: The leading cause of injury in healthcare. Lifting, transferring, or repositioning heavy patients frequently leads to severe back injuries, herniated discs, and shoulder tears.
- Slip, Trip, and Fall Accidents: Hospitals and clinics are full of hazards, from wet floors and bodily fluid spills to cluttered hallways and tangled medical equipment cords.
- Needlestick and Sharps Injuries: Accidental exposure to bloodborne pathogens (like HIV or Hepatitis) from contaminated needles is a terrifying reality that requires immediate, covered medical monitoring and treatment.
- Workplace Violence: Unfortunately, nurses and aides are frequently assaulted, kicked, or grabbed by combative, confused, or intoxicated patients, leading to severe physical trauma and psychological stress.
- Repetitive Motion Injuries: Constant charting, computer work, and repetitive clinical tasks can cause debilitating carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive strain injuries.
What Benefits Are Available to Injured Healthcare Workers?
Under Arizona workers’ compensation law, if you are injured on the job, you are entitled to specific benefits regardless of who was at fault for the accident. The workers’ compensation system is designed to provide:
1. Complete Medical Coverage
Workers’ compensation should cover 100% of your reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to the work injury. This includes emergency room visits, surgeries, physical therapy, prescription medications, and even travel expenses to and from medical appointments.
2. Lost Wage Replacement (Temporary Disability)
If your doctor takes you off work or places you on light duty that your hospital cannot accommodate, you are entitled to receive a portion of your lost wages. In Arizona, this is typically calculated at 66 2/3% of your average monthly wage, subject to a state-mandated maximum.
3. Permanent Impairment Benefits
If your injury leaves you with a permanent physical limitation—even after you have reached Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI)—you may be entitled to permanent partial or permanent total disability benefits. These are calculated based on the severity of your impairment and how it affects your ability to earn a living.
Why Healthcare Claims Are Frequently Denied
Hospital administrators and their insurance carriers are notorious for fighting workers’ compensation claims. They often argue that:
- “Your back pain is from aging, not lifting patients.” They will try to blame your severe spinal injury on a pre-existing condition or simple “wear and tear.”
- “You didn’t report the injury immediately.” Nurses are trained to push through the pain and finish their shift. If you waited until the end of your 12-hour shift to report a tweaked back, the insurance company will use that delay against you.
- “There were no witnesses.” If you were alone in a patient’s room when you were assaulted or injured, the insurance company may try to deny the claim based on a lack of corroborating evidence.
Our attorneys know exactly how to counter these aggressive tactics. We gather the medical evidence, secure witness statements, and depose the insurance company’s doctors to build an undeniable case.
Frequently Asked Questions About Healthcare Injuries
What if I was injured while trying to catch a falling patient?
You are absolutely covered. If you injured your back, shoulder, or knee while attempting to prevent a patient from falling, that is considered an injury in the course and scope of your employment. The fact that you were acting to protect someone else does not invalidate your claim.
My hospital is telling me to see their “Occupational Health” doctor. Do I have to?
In Arizona, you generally have the right to choose your own doctor after the first visit, unless your employer is self-insured and has a designated provider network. However, you should never rely solely on a doctor chosen by your employer, as their primary goal is often to return you to work as quickly as possible, not to ensure your complete recovery. Contact us to understand your rights regarding medical care.
Can I get workers’ comp if I contracted an illness from a patient?
Yes, occupational diseases are covered under Arizona workers’ compensation law. If you contracted a severe illness (such as MRSA, Hepatitis, or severe respiratory infections) due to direct exposure while working, you are entitled to benefits. However, these cases require strong medical evidence linking the illness directly to your workplace exposure.
What if my claim is denied?
If you receive a notice that your claim has been denied, you have exactly 90 days to file a Request for Hearing with the Industrial Commission of Arizona. If you miss this deadline, your claim is closed forever. Contact our office immediately if your claim is denied.
Can I be fired for filing a workers’ comp claim?
No. It is illegal for a hospital or medical facility in Arizona to retaliate against you, demote you, or fire you simply because you filed a workers’ compensation claim. If they do, you may have grounds for a separate wrongful termination lawsuit.
Build Your Case with Arizona’s Work Injury Firm
When you are injured while caring for others, you need an attorney who will care for you. At Snow, Carpio & Weekley, we do not back down from aggressive insurance adjusters or hospital defense lawyers.
We handle all workers’ compensation cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning you pay nothing out of pocket, and we only get paid if we secure benefits for you.
Do not let the insurance company dictate your recovery. Contact us today or call us at (877) 370-5788 to schedule your completely free, confidential consultation. Let us do the heavy lifting while you focus on healing.
What Our Clients Are Saying!
Our unique approach to working with our clients
This Firm Stands Up for Working Families
“This law firm really stands up for working families; stands up for workers and will take your case and fight for your case. And get you the best possible settlement that you can have. You should trust in this law firm. This is the law firm that stood when the state was being challenged under SB1070 the anti-immigrant law.”
I Recommend This Firm To You
“Hi, my name is Ron Selma and I’ve been a client for a year and a half. Arizona’s Work Injury Firm, have been very professional for me and I would recommend this firm to anyone. They all are very professional.”
Injured On The Job
“My name is Jennifer Logan & I was injured on the job in January of 2013. The firm came highly recommended from an attorney that I work for. I’ve been coming here ever since I consulted with him. He helped me out.”
In An Accident At Work
” Alex Carpio has been my attorney since the beginning in August of 2012. I was in an accident at work and I explained everything. At that point he said: “We’re going to continue & we’re going to go on with this because you do have a case.” I would recommend Alex Carpio very highly. He’s a great gentlemen and he listens.”
Arizona Workers Compensation Results
“I was injured on 10-1-2010. During that time I was in so much pain. I was really happy that I was able to find Arizona’s Work Injury Firm. If you look at my file I’ve over 3.5 years of paperwork. There’s no way that I would have been able to handle it on my own. They reminded me when I was supposed to go to court and took care of all the legal proceedings.”
We Recommend This Firm To You
“Hello, my name is Jorge Ramirez and my lawyer was Alex Carpio. He is a really good lawyer and I would recommend him to a lot of people. Arizona’s Work Injury Firm, have been very professional for me and my wife. Thank you Alex Carpio.”
At Arizona’s Work Injury Firm, we don’t identify you by your injury or your claim. We recognize you by name and by face. You have an important life with people who look up to you and depend on you. We treat you with that same respect. We will work with you on your Workers’ Compensation or Social Security Disability claims, helping you secure the benefits you deserve; affording you dignity today and hope for the future.