Each year, thousands of Ohio workers are injured on the job, leaving them unable to work. At the same time, car accidents, slips and falls, medical negligence, and other preventable accidents injure even more people. If you find yourself in either situation in Canfield, you need an experienced attorney who knows how to get results.
At Plevin & Gallucci, we’ve fought for injured Ohioans for over 50 years. We’ve secured millions in financial compensation for workers and accident victims across the state, including those in Canfield and the surrounding area. We understand what’s at stake and know how to build strong claims protecting your rights and future.
Why Hire Us for Your Workers’ Compensation or Personal Injury Claim in Canfield?
After a workplace injury or serious accident, you want to have the right legal team on your side. At Plevin & Gallucci, we’ve helped Ohio workers and injury victims since 1971. We won’t back down when employers, insurers, and at-fault parties try to avoid paying you what’s fair.
- We Know the Ohio BWC System: The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) has its own application and review procedures and claim deadlines. Our attorneys know how the system works and how to respond when a claim is denied. We’ve handled hundreds of appeals and helped injured workers secure the payments they need to keep going.
- We’ve Handled Serious Injury Cases Across Ohio: Our personal injury law firm has gotten best results for clients injured in truck accidents, motorcycle crashes, medical malpractice incidents, and more. We’ve gone up against large corporations, hospitals, and insurance companies. In a recent case, we recovered $710,000 for a guest who slipped and fell at a private club, incurring severe injuries.
- You Pay Only If We Win: We work on a contingency fee basis. That means we don’t request a retainer up front, and you won’t pay anything unless we recover money for you. This gives our clients peace of mind during a difficult time.
- Respected by Other Lawyers in Ohio: Our personal injury attorneys have been selected for Super Lawyers® lists and have held leadership roles in legal organizations across the state. Frank L. Gallucci III and Paul Grieco are past presidents of the Ohio Association for Justice, a statewide group of trial lawyers who fight for the rights of injured people.
- We Use Trusted Professionals to Build Your Case: We work with skilled doctors, financial analysts, accident reconstruction specialists, and expert witnesses to gather the information needed for your claim. These professionals help explain how an injury happened, what it means for your health, and how it will affect your ability to work or live normally.
We believe in keeping caseloads manageable so every client gets attention. When you hire us, you’ll speak directly with your attorney, not a call center or case manager. We keep you updated, answer your questions, and treat your compensation claim with the care it deserves.
Ready to discuss your case? Call us today for a free consultation.
What You Need to Know About Ohio Workers’ Compensation
Ohio runs its own workers’ compensation system through the Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC), which provides coverage to more than 250,000 public and private employers. Unlike many other states that rely on private insurers, Ohio’s system is state-funded. If you’re hurt at work in Canfield, you’ll likely file a claim through the BWC.
Some larger companies, however, are self-insured. This means they manage and pay claims directly, rather than using the BWC’s insurance fund. While self-insured employers must still follow state rules, the claims process can feel different, and disputes can be harder to resolve without legal advice. We know how to handle both BWC and self-insured claims and can step in if your employer delays or denies payment.
Qualifying for Workers’ Compensation Benefits
To receive workers’ compensation benefits in Ohio, four conditions must be met. Employers sometimes challenge these points to avoid financial responsibility, which can make it harder for injured workers to access the help they’re entitled to. Knowing how eligibility is determined can make it easier to act when something goes wrong.
- You Must Be an Employee: You must be classified as an employee. Independent contractors aren’t included under Ohio’s system, and some employers take advantage of this difference. We’ve represented workers who were wrongly labeled and secured the wage and medical benefits they needed.
- You Suffered an Accidental Injury: Your injury must be unintended and related to your job duties. The system excludes self-inflicted harm. That said, injuries during regular tasks still qualify, even when the action was voluntary. For example, if you’re a nurse and hurt your back lifting a patient, you are likely to be eligible to receive workers’ comp benefits.
- The Injury Happened on the Job: The injury must have happened while you’re doing your job or taking part in a work-related activity. This can include travel for the company, required training, or even breaks taken on-site.
- The Cause was Work-Related: There must be a link between your job and what caused the injury. In other words, you were injured while on the clock. These cases can be more complicated when a pre-existing condition is part of the picture, but we’ve built strong claims in those situations, too.
In Ohio, you must report your injury to your employer as soon as possible. Either you or your employer must submit a First Report of Injury (FROI) form within one year, but waiting can put your claim at risk. The BWC usually responds within 28 days, but many claims face delays because of missing details or poor documentation. This is one reason why Plevin & Gallucci recommends having an experienced attorney file your FROI and be involved in your claim from the outset. Reporting early and getting everything in order helps avoid these common types of setbacks.
How Do You Know if You Need a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer?
While we encourage all injured workers to speak with an attorney about their benefits claim before filing, certain situations call for immediate legal action:
- Your Claim Was Denied: If the BWC or a self-insured employer denies your claim, you’ll need to appeal quickly. Our workers’ compensation attorneys have overturned improper denials in many cases by uncovering missing records or correcting inaccurate information.
- Your Employer Disputes Your Status: Some Ohio employers try to avoid responsibility by claiming you’re an independent contractor. This tactic is common in industries that rely on freelance or short-term labor.
- Your Injury Is Severe or Permanent: Spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, or amputation can mean years of medical care and an inability to return to work. Our workers’ compensation attorneys work with doctors, therapists, and job experts to build claims that reflect the long-term impact of these catastrophic injuries.
- Your Benefits Were Cut Off or Reduced: Sometimes, wage or medical benefits are stopped without good reason. We’ve handled hundreds of these cases and helped workers get their benefits back.
- You Have a Pre-Existing Condition: A past injury or illness doesn’t disqualify you from workers’ compensation, but it may lead your employer to argue that work didn’t cause the problem. We know how to show that job duties made your condition worse, and we’ve won claims in cases where others said it wasn’t possible.
Personal Injury Lawyers in Canfield
A personal injury claim arises when one party’s carelessness, misconduct, or recklessness causes harm to another. These cases are separate from workers’ compensation and allow injured people to seek financial recovery for medical bills, wage loss, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and property damage. To succeed, the injured person must show that the responsible party owed them a duty of care, failed to meet it, and devastating injuries resulted.
Car Accidents
Traffic collisions are among the most common personal injury cases and can leave people with lasting medical problems. These incidents normally involve speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving, driver fatigue, or failure to follow road rules. Our legal team works with investigators and crash experts to hold all responsible drivers accountable.
Medical Malpractice
Doctors, nurses, and hospitals are expected to meet accepted care standards. When they don’t, patients may suffer injuries that could have been avoided. Surgical mistakes, missed diagnoses, incorrect prescriptions, and birth-related injuries are just some examples. We’ve taken action against hospital systems and individual providers in northeast Ohio when patients were harmed by poor treatment decisions.
Industrial Workplace Accidents
Some job-related injuries qualify for personal injury claims when someone outside the employer causes the accident. These cases might involve faulty equipment, unsafe work sites, or the actions of third-party contractors. We’ve recovered millions of dollars for injured workers in cases like these, including a substantial settlement for a worker who sustained serious head injuries when his employer failed to provide proper fall protection.
Product and Pharmaceutical Liability
Injuries from unsafe products or medications result from poor design, improper testing, or failure to provide warnings. These product liability cases can include vehicle flaws, defective medical implants, dangerous drugs, and contaminated food. Our firm has taken part in large-scale cases involving prescription medications, including claims brought against opioid manufacturers on behalf of harmed individuals and their families.
Truck Accidents
Crashes involving large trucks can lead to severe injuries due to the weight and size difference between vehicles. These cases require a close look at truck driver records, equipment maintenance, and compliance with transportation rules. We’ve handled truck accident claims throughout the Canfield area and know how to take on commercial carriers and their insurers.
Pedestrian Accidents
Pedestrian accidents happen when motor vehicles strike people walking, jogging, or crossing streets. These cases can involve driver negligence, poor road design, inadequate lighting, or failure to yield right-of-way. We’ve secured fair compensation for pedestrians injured throughout the Mahoning Valley, including accidents near Canfield’s business districts.
Motorcycle Accidents
Motorcycle riders often suffer the most in collisions, even at low speeds. Drivers may fail to see riders or leave them too little space. Poor road upkeep or faulty bike parts can also lead to injury. We’re familiar with the bias riders face in the legal system and work to ensure that motorcycle claims are treated fairly and taken seriously.
Nursing Home Abuse
Elderly or disabled residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities should receive proper care and protection from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Unfortunately, understaffing, inadequate training, and poor oversight can all lead to physical abuse, medication errors, falls, and malnutrition. We’ve represented families whose loved ones suffered abuse in facilities throughout northeast Ohio.
How Do You Know if You Need a Personal Injury Lawyer?
When someone else’s negligence or carelessness causes severe injuries, you may be able to recover damages through a personal injury claim. Insurance providers often try to settle early, but those offers rarely reflect the full cost of your injury. An attorney can review your case, negotiate with insurers, and help ensure that you’re not left with unpaid bills or future expenses.
You need a personal injury lawyer if:
- Your Injuries are Long-Term or Life-Changing: Injuries involving the brain, spine, or permanent mobility loss often require long-term care and prevent a return to work. Our personal injury attorneys have secured multimillion dollar results for clients living with this reduced quality of life.
- The Insurance Company Denies Responsibility: If the insurance carrier for the other party says their client wasn’t at fault, an experienced lawyer can help you prove what really happened. Insurance adjusters are trained to find ways to avoid paying a fair settlement. We’ve handled many cases where the insurer ignored (or chose not to acknowledge) compelling evidence.
- Several People or Companies may be Involved: Some accidents involve multiple parties, such as construction firms, drivers, or property owners. With these cases, you have to determine who played a role and how fault is shared. We’ve handled claims involving multiple defendants, each with their own attorneys and insurers.
Ohio law limits how long you have to file a personal injury lawsuit. This timeline, known as the statute of limitations, gives you up to two years to file a claim unless a limited exception applies. Waiting too long, even by a few days, can mean losing your chance to recover anything. We’ve seen strong cases lost because the person waited too long to act. If you’re unsure about your deadline, seek legal representation now instead of risking your claim.
Have You Been Injured? Call an Experienced Lawyer in Canfield Now
If you’ve been injured at work or in an accident in the Canfield area, timing is critical. Workers’ compensation claims must be reported quickly, and personal injury cases are subject to strict deadlines. Delays can lead to lost evidence, unavailable witnesses, and incomplete medical records, all of which can weaken your case.
At Plevin & Gallucci, we offer free, no-obligation consultations to assess your situation and explain your legal options. If we take your case, our team moves quickly to secure evidence and build a strong claim. Contact our personal injury law firm today to learn how we can help you pursue the maximum compensation you’re entitled to.
