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Workers Compensation for Policemen and Security Professionals

Law enforcement officers and other security and safety professionals put their lives and careers at risk every day. These professionals who protect the community deserve to be paid promptly and justly when the suffer an injury while doing their job. North Carolina and Virginia work injury laws protect law enforcement staff by providing that officers and safety personnel who suffer workplace injuries should have their medical bills paid and should receive 2/3rds of their lost wages for the period of time they are out of work, as well as payment of medical bills related to the injury. Security professionals should also be entitled to lost wage benefits if they suffer permanent injuries. When tragedy strikes and a security worker dies, the families of these heroes should be compensated in according with state workers’ compensation laws.

Common security injuries

Police officers and safety staff are at risk for many different types of injuries. When an assault or accident occurs, it is not necessary for the officer/security member to prove fault. If the injuries or death were due to a workplace incident, then benefits should be payable. Some common security injuries are:

  • Physical assaults. Police officers can be shot, stabbed, forced to defend themselves in physical fights, or attacked in a variety of ways.
  • Vehicle accidents. Police officers are often involved in car, motorcycle, and other vehicle accidents in the pursuit of those who commit crimes
  • Many officers and security staff personnel work long hard hours. At the end of the day or the shift, these workers are susceptible to slips and falls and a host of other problems that can result in lost time from work.
  • Many offers burn out or suffer emotional harm as a result of their work. If their depression or anxieties can be related to a specific workplace incident that is far outside the normal realm of what can be expected in the job, their psychological care may be compensable through a workers’ compensation claim.

Some law enforcement and security personnel may also suffer harm due to exposure to narcotics, radiation, and other dangerous job-related problems.

Common security- related injuries

Many officers and security personnel suffer deadly injuries. Survivors often can never return to work again or need to be retrained because they can no longer do police work. Common enforcement injuries include:

  • Death
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Spinal cord damage including paralysis
  • Broken bones
  • Gunshot wounds
  • Respiratory damage
  • Bruises and lacerations
  • Heart attacks
  • Burn injuries

Officers and security personnel who suffer any type of injury need to get a proper medical evaluation to determine if they can ever return to work.

Unfortunately, if you are police officer employed by a City in the Commonwealth of Virginia, it has been our experience—and that of most workers compensation lawyers in Virginia—that for whatever reason, Virginia Cities do not settle workers compensation cases. If an officer is released to light duty, Cities are much more likely to accommodate an officer with alternate employment as opposed to continuing to pay workers compensation benefits.

The reason for this reluctance of cities to settle claims in Virginia is assumed to be due to the lack of budget line-items in City Budgets for settlement reserves.

In North Carolina, we have seen cities and counties that set aside funds in the their annual budgets for potential workers compensation settlements. It all depends on the budgetary restrictions of the particular city or county.

Talk with an experienced security professional or police workplace accident attorney today

Police officers and security professionals deserve to be treated with respect. They should not have to worry about getting work injury benefits for doing their job. If you or a loved one suffered injuries while protecting the public, attorney Joe Miller has the experience to get you justice. He has been fighting for injured workers for over a quarter of a century. To review your case now, please phone Joe Miller at (888) 694-1671 or complete his contact form.

Virginia Beach Office

5500-B Greenwich Rd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Elizabeth City Office
(by appointment only)
507 E Main St #K
Elizabeth City, NC 27907

If you are looking at this site, you or a loved one has probably been hurt. If that's true, you've come to the right place. Helping people who have been hurt is what we do. In fact, it is all we do. Joe Miller Law is a law firm concentrating exclusively on representing people who are injured by the carelessness of others or those hurt on the job. We provide the highest quality legal services to people who have been seriously injured. We practice Personal Injury law and Workmens' Compensation law in both Virginia and North Carolina.