MINNESOTA WORKERS’ COMPESNATION LAWYERS - IRON RANGE WORKERS

Minnesota’s Iron Range is a special place where folks work hard and respect the law. They expect justice in return when they are injured -whether it is a car accident, a work-related injury or other claims deserving justice under the law.

The Iron Range Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at the Schmidt Salita Law Team provide the highest quality legal services to the Iron Range work force, bring those services to the hard workers of the Iron Range.

THE IRON RANGE INDUSTRY - A STORIED HISTORY.

Minnesota has been the largest producer of iron ore and taconite in the United States. Even after the high-grade iron ore was depleted, technology found a way to efficiently produce steel from the lower grade iron ore called taconite. In its heyday, 44 million tons of taconite were shipped from the Iron Range of Minnesota in a single year - enough to fill 500,000 railroad cars.

Today, it is believed that the Iron Range still has valuable deposits of minerals that can be economically mined, including copper, nickel, cobalt and even palladium, platinum and gold.

THE IRON RANGE WORK FORCE

The Iron Range workforce has a long and distinguished history in not only the mining industry, but the supplemental and supporting work forces. HARD BUT DANGEROUS IRON RANGE WORK. The mining industry is well-recognized to be among the most hazardous and dangerous of all. HAZARDS OF COMPLEMENTARY AND SUPPLEMENTAL IRON RANGE WORK. The Mining Industry is not only the source of a high rate of workplace hazards and personal injuries. The other industries that are complementary and supplemental to the mining industry also bear significant workplace hazards, including the following:

-Construction Industry;

-Road and Rail Construction;

-Timber/Logging Industry;

-Transportation and Shipping;

-Sand, Gravel and Stone Excavation;

-Power and Communication Line Construction and Maintenance;

-Firefighters and First Responders.

TOXIC AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURES.

TOXICITY OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE

Trichloroethylene, TCE, is an industrial solvent that is used in both industrial applications, and also found in industrial chemicals and household products such as paint and stain removers, cleaning products and parts cleaners.

It is usually in a liquid form but is highly volatile and can easily evaporate and become airborne. When that happens, the admissions can be harmful to breathe and can cause serious and potentially deadly effects.

Various cancer types are among the most dangerous of the problems resulting from TCE exposure.

Studies have shown that TCE produces central nervous system problems with decreased appetite, gastrointestinal irritation, headaches, mucous membrane problems, and skin irritations. It can also cause chemically driven liver damage due to either inhalation or ingestion. Abnormal heart rhythms are known to be induced by heavy TCE exposure.

TCE exposure also produces neurological effects, including word finding difficulty, ataxia, decreased appetite, headache, short-term memory loss, sleep disturbances and vertigo/balance problems.

Most importantly, there are serious potential carcinogenic (cancer) effects from TCE exposure. Medical researchers indicated that there is an increased incidence of both malignant and benign tumors as a result of TCE exposure in animals, acting through the same mechanism that would likely cause cancer in human beings. Several studies have also found a definite link between childhood leukemia and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

MINNESOTA WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS FOR IRON RANGE WORKERS.

IF YOU ARE INJURED ON THE JOB, UNDER MINNESOTA LAW, YOU ARE ENTITLED TO RECEIVE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION BENEFITS

These benefits include the following:

PAYMENT OF YOUR MEDICAL BILLS: You can get your medical and chiropractic bills paid by Workers’ Compensation insurance. There are caps on the percentage of the bills paid but the remainder is not generally plaintiff’s responsibility.
WAGE LOSS REIMBURSEMENT: You can receive compensation for the wages that you lost because of your injury.
DISABILITY BENEFITS: You can receive a money payment to reimburse you for your permanent disability. Workers’ Compensation does not pay for Pain and Suffering but for functional loss. If you get paid a check-that is NOT a settlement. Settlements must be approved by Workers’ Compensation Court.
REHAB ASSISTANCE: You are entitled to pick your own rehab counselor.

There are many other types of benefits that you can collect when you are injured on the job in Minnesota.

These benefits are paid by the insurance company of the person or company that you were working for when injured. If the employer had no Workers’ Compensation insurance, you may be able to collect these benefits from the State of Minnesota.

IF YOU ARE INJURED ON THE JOB, you should immediately report the injury to your employer. They are responsible, not you, for filling out the first report of injury. Then, ask that the claim be turned over to the employer’s Workers’ Compensation insurance company.

An attorney at Schmidt-Salita Law Team can assist you in getting these benefits. Even if you are receiving these benefits already, an attorney can help you to determine whether you are being paid the correct amount.

Under certain circumstances, you can collect Workers’ Compensation benefits and also make a claim against another party that might have been at fault in causing your injuries. For example, if you are injured on the job while driving or riding in a motor vehicle and injured in a motor vehicle accident which was caused by the negligence of another driver, you may have both a Workers’ Compensation claim and a Third-Party Claim against the other driver, or his automobile insurance company. Construction accidents caused by another party, companies responsible for faulty products, property owners, among other non-employer parties.

The Minneapolis Car Accident Lawyers at Schmidt Salita Law Team have over 70 years experience in bringing justice to the victims of car accidents in Minneapolis, St. Paul and the surrounding suburbs. The IRON RANGE LAW CENTER is a resource which provides top quality legal services to the residents of the Minnesota Iron Range, including the cities and towns of Duluth, Two Harbors, Silver Bay, Cloquet, Eveleth, Virginia, Hibbing, Babbit, Orr, International Falls, Bemidji, Park Rapids, Ely and surrounding areas.

IRON RANGE WORKERS’ COMPENSATION LAWYERS - AWARD WINNING.

The Iron Range Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at the Schmidt Salita Law Team are nationally recognized, award-winning attorneys. Senior trial lawyers Dean Salita and Doug Schmidt are top rated by the most respected legal rating system. Mr. Salita has been voted the Chair of the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association for 10 years and is the Chair of a National Work Comp Exposure Group. Mr. Schmidt is the recipient of the American Bar Association’s Award of Merit and the Distinguished Service Award of the Minnesota Trial Lawyers Association.

IRON RANGE WORK COMP LAWYERS - FIVE STAR RATED.

The Iron Range Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at the Schmidt Salita Law Team has been rated as 5 star by happy clients that have personally experienced their quality services.