Workplace injuries can create serious financial strain. Between medical expenses and time away from work, injured employees often face difficult choices. South Carolina workers’ compensation laws are meant to help, but the process is not always simple. Without an attorney on their side, an injured worker may struggle to obtain the wage replacement benefits, medical care, and other support they are owed. Or worse yet, their benefits may be unfairly denied, leaving them without a lifeline to recovery.
At Joye Law Firm Injury Lawyers, we help injured workers in Columbia and across South Carolina understand their rights under the workers’ compensation system. Our Columbia workers’ comp attorneys helped thousands of people who have been hurt on the job, guiding them through the process and securing the full workers’ compensation benefits they deserve.
Our legal team helps with workers’ comp claims from start to finish. We stand up to the employer’s insurance company and work to make sure injured workers get fair compensation. If you were injured on the job, you do not have to go through the workers’ comp process alone.
How Joye Law Firm Helps Injured Workers in Columbia
When a work-related injury changes your life, knowing where to turn for help can make all the difference. At Joye Law Firm, our Columbia workers’ compensation lawyers guide injured workers through every step of their claim. Our team includes attorneys like Sydney Lynn and Sarah Khouri, who are active members in Best Lawyers, South Carolina Super Lawyers, in Injured Workers’ Advocates, the state’s largest and most respected organization dedicated to protecting the rights of injured employees. Managing Partner Ken Harrell was recently selected as Best Lawyers in America’s 2026 Lawyer of the Year for Workers’ Compensation, a recognition that highlights his decades of dedication to this field.
We combine these qualifications, decades of local experience, and a hands-on approach that keeps your case moving forward. Here’s how we help protect your rights and work toward the benefits you deserve:
- Local Experience Since 1968: Joye Law Firm has represented injured workers in Columbia and across South Carolina for decades, giving clients the benefit of our extensive knowledge of state workers’ compensation laws and procedures.
- Clear Guidance Through the Process: We walk clients through each stage of the workers’ comp process, from filing the initial claim to understanding medical evaluations and benefit calculations.
- Ensuring Medical Care: If your medical concerns aren’t being taken seriously by the physician assigned to you by the workers’ comp insurer, we will request a hearing on your behalf to ensure you have access to a second opinion.
- Thorough Documentation: Our legal team helps gather medical evidence, work records, and other proof needed to strengthen workers’ comp claims and prevent unnecessary delays.
- Direct Dealings with the Insurance Company: We handle all communications with the workers’ compensation insurance company, reducing stress for our clients and ensuring their rights are protected.
- Addressing Denials or Delays: When a claim is delayed or denied, we take action to appeal or challenge the decision with proper legal representation.
- Third-Party Claims: If a work-related injury involves a negligent third party, we review the facts to determine whether a personal injury lawsuit should be filed in addition to the workers’ compensation claim.
- Support for Serious and Lasting Injuries: We work with those facing permanent impairment or ongoing medical treatment to seek fair settlement terms and ensure future medical needs are covered.
Workers’ Compensation Settlements and Case Results in South Carolina
At Joye Law Firm, our team has successfully secured workers’ comp benefits for thousands of clients following an accident. Take a look at one of our settlement awards, showcasing how our experience has helped clients, just like you, obtain the benefits they’re entitled to:
Our team recently represented a forklift operator in Cayce. Our client suffered a neck injury on the job and faced difficulties in both his personal and professional life. By meticulously documenting the injury’s severity and effect on the worker’s everyday activities and ability to work, Attorney Sarah Khouri obtained a $175,000 settlement. This amount covered all his medical needs, including a necessary surgery. It also compensated him for his pain and suffering and the money he lost while he couldn’t work.
In another case, Attorney Ken Harrell recovered $700,000 for a tractor-trailer driver injured in a work-related crash. He suffered numerous injuries to his neck, right shoulder, and right hand after another driver ran a stop sign. His injuries necessitated three separate surgeries and ended his career as a truck driver. Our team not only recovered $150,000 in a workers’ comp settlement, but also an additional $550,000 from a third-party lawsuit against the at-fault driver’s car insurance.
What’s Your Workers’ Compensation Claim Worth?
Many people wrongly believe that there is a “formula” that determines the value of a workers’ comp case. However, the reality is a lot more complicated. The value of your workers’ comp case depends heavily on the specific details surrounding your unique case. The facts of the accident, the extent of your injuries, whether you are permanently disabled, and your impairment rate all matter.
If you suffer a temporary injury, you can receive partial wage replacement benefits for up to 340 weeks. Under state law, these payments will be 66% of your average weekly wage (up to the state maximum of $1,134.43 for accidents that happened after January 1, 2025). These benefits can continue for up to 500 weeks for totally or permanently disabling injuries.
For devastating injuries such as quadriplegia, brain damage, or the loss of a loved one, you might qualify for a lump-sum settlement. In cases where a family member is permanently disabled or has died in a work-related accident, contact a knowledgeable attorney as soon as possible. These workers’ compensation systems are extremely complicated and can be confusing. Working with an attorney can help you steer clear of the pitfalls and ensure you get all the benefits you’re entitled to.
The process starts with an assessment of your claim during a free consultation. Our workers’ comp lawyers at Joye Law Firm care about the injured workers who come to us for help. If your injuries prevent you from meeting with us at our Columbia office, we can arrange to meet with you at your home, hospital, another convenient location or virtually.
