MASSACHUSETTS WORKPLACE ACCIDENT LAWYER
A day at work changed your life.
When you are hurt on the job in Massachusetts, workers’ compensation is only the starting point, and a third party is often responsible for far more than comp ever pays.
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A Massachusetts workplace accident lawyer pursues every claim.
A workplace accident in Massachusetts sets two different paths in motion, and most injured workers only learn about one of them. The first is workers’ compensation, a no-fault system that pays medical bills and a share of lost wages no matter how the injury happened. The second, and the one insurers rarely mention, is a third-party claim against anyone other than your employer whose negligence contributed, a claim that can reach the full pain, suffering, and wage loss that comp does not cover. Private employers in Massachusetts reported 55,400 nonfatal workplace injuries in a single recent year, confirmed from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, across construction, warehousing, healthcare, and manufacturing, and many of those injuries involved a defective machine, a negligent subcontractor, a property owner, or a driver who was not the worker’s employer. Sorting out which benefits and claims apply, and preserving the evidence before it disappears, is exactly where a workplace accident claim is won or lost. Comp insurers work to limit and cut off benefits, and the responsible third party’s insurer works to deny fault, so getting the medical record, the comp filing, and the liability evidence right from the start protects the full value of the claim. Larson Law handles these claims across Massachusetts. If you were hurt at work, a Massachusetts workplace accident lawyer can review your situation at no cost.
What our clients say
Comp is rarely the whole story after a work injury.
- We handle Massachusetts workplace accident claims across construction, warehousing, healthcare, and industry
- We pursue the workers compensation benefits you are owed and fight a denial or cutoff
- We find every third party whose negligence contributed and bring a separate claim under the law
- We identify the damages comp never pays, including full pain, suffering, and lost earning capacity
- We deal with the comp insurer and the liability insurer directly so neither undercuts your claim
- No fee unless we win your case
- No upfront costs
- Direct attorney access throughout
- Same-day and hospital visits anywhere in Massachusetts if you cannot travel
$300K+ Won For Clients
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8+ Years of Legal Expertise
98% Legal Success Rate
100+ Injured Victims Helped
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Massachusetts covers a work injury, and may allow more.
No-fault workers’ compensation, the starting point
Under MGL Ch. 152, Massachusetts workers’ compensation is a no-fault system: an injured worker is entitled to medical benefits and wage replacement regardless of how the injury happened or who was at fault, from the first day of employment. Comp is also the exclusive remedy against a direct employer that carries coverage, so a worker generally cannot sue the employer itself. The only broad exclusions are injuries from the worker’s own willful misconduct under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 28 or intoxication, so the vast majority of on-the-job injuries are covered. The trade-off is that comp does not pay for pain and suffering or full lost wages, which is why the second path matters so much.
Third-party claims beyond comp
When someone other than the employer caused or contributed to the injury, MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 15 lets the worker pursue both comp benefits and a separate personal injury claim against that third party. Common examples are a defective machine or tool, a negligent subcontractor or general contractor on a multi-employer site, a property owner who failed to keep the premises safe, or a driver who caused a work-related crash. The third-party claim can reach the full damages comp does not cover, and it is governed by ordinary negligence and modified comparative fault under MGL Ch. 231 Sec. 85, with a three-year deadline under MGL Ch. 260 Sec. 2A.
Retaliation and the comp deadline
An employer may not punish a worker for filing a claim; MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 75B bars retaliation such as firing, demotion, or cut hours, and a separate claim may follow if it happens. The deadline to file a workers’ compensation claim is generally four years from when the worker knew the injury was work-related under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 41, while a third-party claim runs on the three-year personal injury deadline. When a workplace accident is fatal, the family may bring both a comp death claim and a wrongful death claim under MGL Ch. 229.
Workplace accidents reach every Massachusetts industry.
The industries where Massachusetts work injuries cluster
Massachusetts work injuries concentrate in a few sectors, each with its own hazards. Construction carries the fall, struck-by, caught-in, and electrical risks that OSHA identifies as the leading causes of fatal construction injuries. Warehousing and logistics bring forklift, loading-dock, and repetitive-strain injuries. Healthcare leads in patient-handling musculoskeletal injuries, needlesticks, and exposure. Manufacturing adds machine, crush, and amputation risks. In every one of these, comp covers the worker from day one, and a defective product or a negligent non-employer can open a third-party claim alongside it.
Why a third party so often shares the blame
Modern worksites rarely involve a single company. A construction project alone may have a property owner, a general contractor, a dozen subcontractors, and equipment manufacturers, any of whom can be the third party whose negligence caused the injury. A warehouse worker hurt by a defective forklift, a hospital aide injured by faulty equipment, or a delivery driver struck by another motorist all may have claims beyond comp. Identifying who controlled the hazard, and preserving the evidence that proves it, is the heart of the third-party case.
Where these cases proceed
Workers’ compensation disputes proceed before the Department of Industrial Accidents, which has statewide jurisdiction no matter where the injury happened. A third-party claim is filed in the county where the injury occurred, in the District Court or the county Superior Court depending on its size, confirmed from mass.gov. Larson Law handles workplace accident claims across all of Massachusetts, and the first review of your claim is always free.
A work injury can reach well beyond comp benefits.
What your claim may support depends on how you were hurt, the benefits comp provides, and whether a third party shares the blame. The recovery can reach well past comp’s medical and wage benefits, into the full pain, suffering, and earning loss a serious work injury causes.
Medical Bills and All Treatment Costs
Lost Wages and Wage Replacement
Pain, Suffering, and Permanent Disability
Third-Party Personal Injury Claims
The right moves after a serious workplace injury.
Report the injury and get care
Report the injury to your employer right away and get medical care, then keep every record. Note how it happened and who saw it, because in a work injury claim early proof is what protects your claim.
Talk to a workplace accident lawyer
Call us or send the form. A Massachusetts workplace accident lawyer will review how you were hurt, explain comp and any third-party claim, and map your next steps, at no cost at all to you, right now.
We handle comp and the third party
We handle the comp claim, identify any third party at fault, deal with the insurers directly, and pursue every part of your work injury claim through to the full and fair resolution that you are owed.
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Talk to a Massachusetts workplace accident lawyer free.
A workplace accident claim depends on the comp benefits you are owed, the third-party claim many workers never learn exists, and evidence that disappears once the site changes. Tell us how you were hurt, who else was on the job, and where your recovery stands, and we will explain what comp provides, whether a third party shares the blame, and what to do now. When a workplace accident is fatal, the family may bring a wrongful death claim under MGL Ch. 229 alongside comp death benefits. The first review is free, and there is no fee unless we win.
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Our Clients.
Our Practice Areas.
We handle workplace accident and work injury claims across all of Massachusetts, from the comp filing through any third-party claim. Whatever happened, we will tell you where you stand at no cost.
Workplace injury questions, answered.
Do I have to prove fault to get workers compensation?
No. Massachusetts workers’ compensation under MGL Ch. 152 is a no-fault system, so you are entitled to medical benefits and wage replacement regardless of how the injury happened, from the first day of employment. The only broad exclusions are injuries from your own willful misconduct under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 28 or intoxication. Comp does not pay for pain and suffering or full lost wages, which is why a third-party claim, when one exists, matters for the full recovery.
Can I sue my employer for a workplace injury?
Generally no. Under MGL Ch. 152, workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy against a direct employer that carries coverage, so you usually cannot sue the employer itself even if it was careless. That exclusivity applies only to the employer, though. If a third party, an equipment maker, a subcontractor, a property owner, or a negligent driver, contributed to the injury, a separate claim against that party remains available under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 15.
What is a third-party workplace claim?
It is a personal injury claim against someone other than your employer whose negligence contributed to a work injury. Under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 15, you can pursue it alongside comp. Common third parties include a defective-machine manufacturer, a general contractor or subcontractor on a multi-employer site, a property owner, or a driver in a work-related crash. Unlike comp, a third-party claim can recover full pain and suffering and complete lost earnings.
What if a defective machine or tool caused my injury?
You may have two claims. Comp under MGL Ch. 152 covers your medical care and wage replacement regardless of fault, and a separate product liability claim against the manufacturer, distributor, or seller of the defective equipment may proceed as a third-party claim under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 15. That product claim can reach the pain, suffering, and full wage loss comp does not pay, and it is common in construction, warehousing, and manufacturing injuries.
My employer fired me after I filed a claim. Is that legal?
No. Under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 75B, an employer may not retaliate against a worker for filing or pursuing a workers’ compensation claim, including by firing, demoting, or cutting hours. If your employer took adverse action because you filed, a separate retaliation claim may be available alongside the underlying comp case. An attorney evaluates the timing and circumstances of the action to determine whether that claim stands.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
For workers’ compensation it does not matter, because comp is no-fault and pays regardless of how the injury happened. For a third-party claim, Massachusetts follows modified comparative fault under MGL Ch. 231 Sec. 85, so you can still recover as long as your share of the fault is not greater than the other side’s, with the award reduced by your percentage. We hold any fault argument to the actual evidence.
How long do I have to file a workplace injury claim?
The deadlines differ. A workers’ compensation claim is generally due within four years of when you knew the injury was work-related under MGL Ch. 152 Sec. 41. A third-party personal injury claim runs on the three-year deadline under MGL Ch. 260 Sec. 2A. Because evidence at a worksite changes quickly, the practical window to investigate is far shorter, so acting early protects both the deadlines and the proof.
What is my workplace accident claim worth?
There is no fixed figure. Comp benefits follow a statutory schedule, while a third-party claim can add the full pain, suffering, and lost earning capacity comp does not pay. What the claim may support depends on the severity of the injury, your wages, the benefits available, and whether a third party shares the blame. We do not promise a number; we build the claim so its full value is documented and pursued.
Do I pay anything upfront to hire a lawyer?
No. Larson Law handles Massachusetts workplace accident claims on a contingency basis, so there is no upfront cost and no fee unless we win. The first review is free, and you can ask every question before deciding anything. This lets injured workers get strong representation while they focus on recovery, without worrying about legal bills.
What should I do right after a workplace accident?
Report the injury to your employer immediately, get medical care, and make sure the incident is documented in writing. Photograph the equipment or area involved if you safely can, and get the names of any witnesses. Avoid giving a recorded statement to any insurer before getting advice. Then contact a lawyer quickly, because evidence of a third party’s role can disappear as the worksite changes.
Does Larson Law handle work injury claims statewide?
Yes. Larson Law handles workplace accident and work injury claims across all of Massachusetts, in every county. Comp disputes proceed before the Department of Industrial Accidents, which has statewide jurisdiction, and any third-party claim is filed in the county where the injury happened. Reach out by phone, text, or the form on this page at no cost.
Where are workplace accident cases handled?
Workers’ compensation claims proceed before the Department of Industrial Accidents, which has statewide jurisdiction. A third-party personal injury claim is filed in the county where the injury occurred, in the District Court for smaller claims or the county Superior Court for larger ones, confirmed from mass.gov. When a workplace accident is fatal, the wrongful death claim under MGL Ch. 229 proceeds through that county’s courts.
Results Disclaimer: Past case results, settlements, and verdicts mentioned on this website do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome in any future case. Every case is unique and depends on its own facts and legal issues.