United Airlines Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Illinois

Airline workers employed by United Airlines, which is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, are entitled to the protections set forth in the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Illinois law requires businesses to maintain workers’ compensation insurance in order to protect employees who suffer an injury or develop an illness at work. Additionally, airline employees may be entitled to a combination of benefits under Illinois law and their union contract.

At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, our Illinois United Airlines workers’ compensation attorneys are familiar with the legal complexities and union provisions that may affect United Airlines employees. We only advocate on behalf of people injured on the job, rather than their employers. For decades, our union-side law firm has successfully protected the rights of employees, helping them recover benefits under state law as well as a union contract. You can contact us online or call 312-724-5846 to receive a free consultation about your United Airlines workers’ compensation claim.

Workers’ Compensation Claims Brought by United Airlines Employees

Injured airline workers are entitled to the benefits of Illinois law because United Airlines is located in Illinois. To bring a claim for worker’s compensation against United Airlines as an Illinois-based employer, an injured worker need not prove fault and may even reside outside the state.

As an employer, United Airlines hires flight attendants, baggage handlers, pilots, ramp service personnel, and individuals in other roles. All of these employees are afforded the protections set forth in the Illinois Worker’s Compensation Act (IWCA). Common injuries suffered by workers in this industry include back and spinal cord conditions, injuries from falling baggage, and slip and fall injuries in airport terminals. Following an injury on the job or an aggravation of an underlying condition, employees must prove that the injury was in fact work-related.

If a United Airlines workers’ compensation lawyer in the Chicago area can show that an injury or condition was sustained “in the course and scope of employment,” injured airline workers will be entitled to specific benefits set forth in the IWCA. These include coverage for medical costs and lost wages, as well as disability benefits in many cases. In certain situations, an injured worker may also have a third-party claim in addition to a worker’s compensation claim against United. This may be appropriate if an airline worker was running a work-related errand in the airport and was assaulted by an intoxicated flier, or if a worker was operating defective equipment that was manufactured by a different company, among other examples. Third-party claims may provide a broader range of compensation, such as pain and suffering, although they do require the victim to prove the defendant’s fault.

Hazards United Airlines Employees Face

United Airlines workers encounter serious workplace dangers daily across various roles.

Ground Operations

In aircraft ground operations, workers involved in aircraft towing operations face substantial dangers. During these procedures, employees can suffer:

• Crushed limbs from aircraft tires and landing gear during towing movements
• Permanent disabilities from being positioned in hazardous zones near moving aircraft
• Life-changing injuries that affect your ability to earn a living and support your family

These incidents often occur when safety protocols are not properly followed, leaving you facing consequences that extend far beyond the workplace.

Baggage Handlers

While at work, baggage handlers routinely manage heavy luggage in confined cargo spaces. The repetitive nature of this work creates ongoing strain, including:

• Back injuries and herniated discs from constant lifting and bending
• Shoulder damage from twisting movements in tight cargo bays
• Cumulative trauma from performing hundreds of lifts each shift
• Chronic conditions requiring surgery and lengthy rehabilitation

These injuries may not appear all at once, but they can worsen over time and interfere with an employee’s ability to keep working.

Maintenance Technicians

Similarly, maintenance work and equipment-related risks add more risks to airline workers. Aircraft technicians work in tight spaces with low clearances, creating multiple hazard exposures:

• Head trauma and concussions from low-clearance areas on aircraft
• Injuries from falling tools and equipment in maintenance bays
• Chemical exposures while servicing aircraft systems
• Electrical hazards and burns during technical repairs

These injuries can happen suddenly and without warning, leaving you facing mounting medical bills and lost wages.

Other Injuries To Airline Workers

Other hazards stem from ergonomic strain. Flight attendants and ground crew members experience musculoskeletal injuries from their daily tasks, including:

• Arm strain from using handheld scanners with awkward positioning
• Repetitive stress injuries from reaching and stretching in confined cabins
• Conditions that develop over time and prevent you from performing job duties

Illinois law protects United Airlines workers injured on the job, regardless of where you were hired or where the injury occurred, as long as there is a sufficient connection to Illinois.

Rights Of Injured United Airlines Workers

United Airlines is headquartered in Chicago. Accordingly, flight attendants and others employed by United Airlines are covered by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act even if they do not live in the state of Illinois. In Illinois, businesses are required to maintain workers’ compensation insurance. This insurance is designed to ensure that employees who are hurt or become sick on the job receive some benefits without regard to fault. In a personal injury lawsuit brought in court, by contrast, you would need to establish negligence or another standard of fault in order to recover damages. Here are some of the types of accidents and injuries that workers at United Airlines experience.

Injuries From United Airlines Flight Turbulence

Turbulence is air movement generated by atmospheric pressure, cold fronts, warm fronts, thunderstorms, or the air around the mountains. It can occur even if the sky seems clear. Turbulence may not be predictable. According to the United States Federal Aviation Administration, turbulence is the leading cause of non-fatal injuries during a flight. Often, these happen because the injured person was not wearing a seatbelt, and the turbulence happened unexpectedly. However, since fault need not be proven to establish entitlement to workers’ compensation benefits, you can recover these benefits even if you were not wearing a seatbelt, and even if your own negligence caused you to suffer work-related injuries.

Work injuries arising from turbulence can occur whether you are a flight attendant, a pilot, or someone in another role on a flight. Common injuries arising from turbulence include back injuries and spinal cord damage. Sometimes baggage is not properly stowed and falls on a flight attendant or other personnel.

Lifting Injuries To United Airlines Workers

United Airlines workers may suffer serious lifting injuries at work. Lifting injuries can include disc herniation, tendonitis, Superior Labrum Anterior and Posterior tears, tennis elbow, hamstring pulls and tears, patellar tendonitis, and knee pain. These can be painful and require significant medical treatment. If you suffer lifting injuries while working at United Airlines, you may be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits under Illinois law. Our United Airlines workers’ compensation lawyers can help you recover benefits for medical costs, wages from work missed because of injuries, and also disability payments.

What To Do If You Are An Injured United Airlines Employee

Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, you are entitled to have the insurer cover your medical bills, including bills for emergency care, medications, doctor’s visits, medical equipment, and surgeries. Many employers, such as United Airlines, have a preferred provider network. They may ask you to pick a provider from the network. You can choose your own doctor within the network, but you are only permitted to choose your provider twice for a single injury.

Your two choices do not include any referrals by a doctor whom you chose to see another doctor. For example, if you chose your family practice doctor, and she referred you to an orthopedic surgeon for back injuries, seeing the orthopedic surgeon is part of the first choice. If you opted out of the network, you will have only one choice. If you receive emergency care, this does not count as a choice, and it is important to seek out emergency care as soon as possible if you have suffered a serious work injury.

You may be concerned that the doctors within your employer’s preferred provider network are mostly focused on your employer’s interest in your getting back to work as soon as possible. It is crucial to choose a doctor whom you believe will put your best interests first. However, your employer can require you to get examined by a doctor whom it chooses. The employer must pay for this exam, and it should be scheduled for a reasonable time and place. You do not need to accept treatment from this doctor, and you are entitled to be reimbursed for medical mileage.

Explore Your Legal Options with a United Airlines Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

United Airlines is a large employer that has the resources to hire medical management firms and claim adjusting companies to protect its bottom line. You should likewise be diligent in protecting your rights under the IWCA. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, our skilled Chicago United Airlines workers’ compensation lawyers have handled claims for flight attendants, cockpit crewmembers, baggage handlers, and other airline workers. We also represent people who need a job injury attorney in Springfield, Rockford, Aurora, Champaign, and Quincy, as well as other areas of Kane, Sangamon, Cook, Winnebago, Champaign, and Adams Counties. We provide a free consultation and may be reached through our online form or by calling 312-724-5846.