Suffering an on-the-job injury can be a harrowing experience. In addition to the pain and discomfort of the injury itself, there are often worries about keeping the bills paid and getting adequate medical care.

To top it off, the injured worker is most often forced to deal with the red tape and bureaucracy of an insurance company who is choosing the doctors and controlling the amount of benefit checks, if any, that are issued to the injured worker. As experienced Poconos Workers' Compensation Lawyers, we have helped thousands of Pennsylvania clients protect their rights.

Most employers are required to carry Workers' Compensation insurance to help their employees receive lost wages due to an inability to perform properly at work. If you have been injured on the job, how you handle the incident could make the difference in whether or not you receive Workers' Compensation benefits.

When you hire our Firm to defend your rights in a Workers' Comp case, you will be treated with respect and honesty, because we understand the physical, financial and emotional pain dealing with a work injury can cause you and your family. When you call, you will speak to a real attorney. We have over 40 years of combined experience handling disability cases.

Call our office immediately if you need legal assistance with:

• Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Law
• Employment Discrimination
• Vocational Rehabilitation
• Occupational Disease
• Social Security Disability
• Pennsylvania Retirement Disability and Individual Disability
• Catastrophic Injury
• Emotional and Physical Stress Claims
• Toxic Exposure
• Orthopedic injuries
• Repetitive Stress injuries
• Hernias
• Back injuries
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Amputations
• Construction and Industrial Accidents
• Burn Injuries
• Retaliatory Discharge From Workers' Compensation Claims

Protecting the Rights of Working People:
Pennsylvania Workers' Compensation laws provide protection for people who become injured while working in the line and scope of their employment. Occupational diseases and gradual injuries such as carpal tunnel syndrome are also covered. Work injury laws cover every type of employee in every type of job -- including factory workers, office workers, supervisors, clean-up crew workers, computer technicians, heavy equipment operators and others. As skilled Poconos Workers' Compensation Lawyers, we understand what it is like to suffer from a work injury, and we have the experience and knowledge to guide you through the process while protecting your legal rights.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured on-the-job or your family has suffered wrongful death as the result of an on-the-job accident, call the experienced Poconos Workers' Compensation Attorneys of Merwine Hanyon & Kaspszyk, LLP today at 866-232-4752, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Workers' Comp Practice Areas and Legal Definitions 

Workers' Compensation:
Workers' compensation is insurance that an employer is required by law to carry in case an employee is injured on the job or becomes ill, temporarily or permanently disabled or fatally injured due to circumstances surrounding his or her job.

Although workers' compensation laws vary from state to state, covered medical care generally includes: medical, surgical and hospital services, dental services, crutches, hearing aids, chiropractic treatment, physical therapy, nursing care and prescribed medications. Additional monetary compensation may be provided if an injured employee is temporarily unable to work for more than a certain number of calendar days set by state law, hospitalized as an in-patient, or becomes permanently disabled due to a job-related injury or illness. The right to receive medical treatment at the employer's expense typically continues as long as treatment is reasonable and necessary to treat the injury.

Orthopedic injuries:
Orthopedic injuries can include injuries involving the spine, bones, joints, muscles, nerves and other parts of the skeletal system.  The most common orthopedic injuries are bone fractures and sprains and strains. Sprains describe an injury to a ligament and strains describe an injury to muscle. Treatment for orthopedic injuries include medical counseling, medications, casts, splints and therapies, such as exercise or surgery.

Repetitive Stress injury:
If an individual develops a repetitive stress injury (i.e., carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis, tennis elbow, etc.) from duties performed while on the job, he or she may receive workers' compensation benefits including their choice of doctor(s), full medical care compensation, lost wage benefits, a lump-sum cash settlement, vocational retraining or re-schooling and permanent wage loss benefits.

Construction/Industrial Accidents:
Construction labor makes up one of the three most dangerous occupations in the United States today; each year producing thousands of debilitating injuries and wrongful deaths. Factors that contribute to construction accidents include workers lifting loads with worn and weathered cables, working on elevated platforms without fall protection or wearing defective safety harnesses and lanyards, and/or working in trenches with improper benching and using outdated tools and equipment.

Construction site personal injury law is not practiced nor understood by many personal injury attorneys. As a result, many personal injury construction claims are often subject to mediocre representation and minimal financial compensation due to improper legal counsel.  Injured construction workers are urged to seek a workers' compensation attorney who is knowledgeable in a variety of construction techniques and has successfully litigated numerous construction site personal injury cases.

Burn Injuries:
People who have suffered and survived the agony of second, third and even fourth degree burns describe the pain they experienced as among the most severe of all traumatic injuries. Personal injuries involving severe burns commonly result from explosions, premises fires, defective products, motor vehicle collisions or electric shock, as well as accidental exposure to harmful chemicals and radiation.

Toxic Exposure:
Due to the tremendous growth of corporate industry in the United States over the past fifty years, the number of dangerous, toxic substances in the environment has grown significantly. Some toxic substances are shown to cause substantial injury to people, such as lead-based paint (linked to brain damage, especially in children), asbestos (linked to lung cancer and restrictive lung disease), dry cleaning and other solvents (linked to brain damage and major organ damage), pesticides such as dioxin and DDT (linked to birth injuries) and toxic landfill waste (linked to leukemia).

Retaliatory Discharge:
If an individual is terminated from their place of employment after reporting a workers' compensation claim, he or she could be entitled to substantial damages in a retaliatory discharge lawsuit against their former employer.

Federal laws prohibit an employer from discharging or discriminating against an employee because of a workers' compensation injury.  If an employer fires or forces the resignation of an injured employee in retaliation for filing a workers' compensation claim, the employee can file a civil lawsuit against the employer seeking damages in court, provided the employee has evidence of such an allegation.  Also, if an employer denies permission for immediate medical attention following a work-related injury, or does not permit an employee to seek out the services of other medical professionals in conjunction with assigned company doctors, the employee can seek legal retribution under workers' compensation laws.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured on-the-job or your family has suffered wrongful death as the result of an on-the-job accident, call the experienced Poconos Workers' Compensation Attorneys of Merwine Hanyon & Kaspszyk, LLP today at 866-232-4752, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

Professional Profile

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured on-the-job or your family has suffered wrongful death as the result of an on-the-job accident, call the experienced Poconos Workers' Compensation Attorneys of Merwine Hanyon & Kaspszyk, LLP today at 866-232-4752, or complete the contact form provided on this site to schedule your free consultation.

ADDRESS OF THE FIRM:
Merwine Hanyon & Kaspszyk, LLP

Main Office:
HC89 Box 105, Route 940
Pocono Summit, PA 18346

Brodheadsville, PA Office:
Merwine Commons Rt. 209
Brodheadsville, PA 18322

Telephone: 866-232-4752
Fax: 570-839-6723

MEMBERS OF THE FIRM:

Michael B. Kaspszyk, Esq.

EDUCATION:

• Dickinson School of Law, Carlisle, PA
  • Juris Doctorate, 1992
• East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania, East Stroudsburg, PA
  • Bachelor of Arts: Political Science, 1987

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

• Monroe County Bar Association

AREAS OF PRACTICE AND EXPERIENCE:

State Courts:
Extensive experience in automobile accident litigation, including all aspects of claims for injured persons against their auto insurer when the insurer refuses to pay lost wages, medical bills, or vehicle repair costs. Settling and litigating claims against individuals responsible for causing automobile accidents resulting in personal injuries. Representing injured people involving underinsured and uninsured motorists claims, assigned claims and bad faith claims against insurance companies. Extensive workers' compensation experience on behalf of injured workers to obtain wage and medical benefits and in settling claims for lump sum payments. Other focus areas of practice include municipal representation, zoning and land use and criminal defense representation.

Federal Courts:
Admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of PA and Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Federal civil litigation experience includes federal diversity jurisdiction for personal injury actions, as well as federal subject matter jurisdiction, including civil rights violation litigation.

Court of Appeals:
Admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Middle District of PA. Extensive State Appellant Court experience in the Commonwealth Court of PA, the Superior Court of PA and the Third Circuit Court of Appeals.