Protecting Workers This Fall: Understanding Common Autumn Workplace Injuries

O'Donnell Law Offices — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 12:55:35 +0000

As the seasons change, so do the risks faced by employees in Pennsylvania and beyond. Autumn brings shorter days, cooler weather, and new work-related challenges that can lead to injuries on the job. At O’Donnell Law Offices, we help injured workers understand their rights and secure the benefits they deserve under workers’ compensation law.

Why Autumn Brings Unique Workplace Risks

Workers across Wilkes-Barre, Hazleton, Kingston, and other Luzerne County communities face specific hazards this time of year:

Slippery Surfaces: Wet leaves, early frost, and rain can make walkways, job sites, and loading docks hazardous.
Outdoor Maintenance & Construction: Seasonal tasks like roofing, gutter cleaning, and landscaping increase the risk of ladder falls and lifting injuries.
Warehouse & Retail Surges: Autumn kicks off peak retail season, with stocking and shipping demands that often lead to back injuries, repetitive strain, and accidents involving equipment.
Delivery & Transportation: With more packages moving and daylight hours decreasing, delivery drivers and truckers in NEPA face greater risks of accidents and fall-related injuries.

Your Rights Under Workers’ Compensation

If you’re hurt at work in Luzerne County or anywhere in Pennsylvania, O’Donnell Law Offices can help you pursue the benefits you may be entitled to, including:

Medical treatment and rehabilitation coverage
Wage-loss benefits if you’re unable to work
Compensation for permanent injuries
Compensation for disfigurement/scarring, lost use, or amputation caused by a work injury.

Unfortunately, workers often run into challenges when filing a claim — from denied benefits to pressure to return to work too soon. That’s where having a workers’ compensation attorney can make all the difference.

Attorney Michael O’Donnell’s Perspective

Attorney Michael O’Donnell is a Certified Workers’ Compensation Specialist — one of fewer than 250 attorneys in the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to achieve this specialty certification. His expertise in this area gives clients the reassurance that their case is being handled with the highest level of skill and dedication.

With back-to-school season upon us and the holiday season fast approaching, we are all quickly adjusting to life’s ever-evolving demands. This necessarily includes our often unsung heroes working in the warehousing, packaging, and delivery industries. Without these dedicated folks our online orders would not arrive [daily] and we’d be forced to return to 100% in-person retail shopping (terrifying, I know). Increasing demands from consumers and employers require workers to put in longer hours, meet heightened performance quotas, and put themselves at greater risk for injury. Listening to our bodies and promptly reporting/seeking necessary medical care after an on-the-job injury is not just a good idea, it is a requirement under Pennsylvania’s Workers’ Compensation laws.

- Attorney Michael O'Donnell

What Should I Do if I've Been Injured at Work?

How O’Donnell Law Offices Can Help

For more than 35 years, our firm has stood beside hardworking people in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Whether you slipped on the job, suffered a lifting injury, or were hurt in a vehicle accident while working, we’re here to fight for the benefits you need to recover and move forward.
If you’ve been injured this fall, don’t wait. Contact O’Donnell Law Offices today for a free consultation.

The post Protecting Workers This Fall: Understanding Common Autumn Workplace Injuries first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

Traveling for work – workers’ compensation rights when injured on the road

matt — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 18:01:09 +0000

Generally speaking, an employee who is injured while driving to or from work is not protected by Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation laws. The rationale is that the employee has not yet started their workday and is not yet furthering the business interests of their employer. This is often referred to as the “coming and going rule” and operates as an exclusion to workers’ compensation coverage.

Sometimes the “coming and going rule” does not apply and an employee injured while traveling will be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Exceptions to the coming and going rule exist when: (1) the employee has no fixed place of work; (2) the employment contract includes transportation to and from work; (3) the employee is on a special assignment for the employer; or (4) special circumstances are such that the employee was furthering the business of the employer.

Workers’ compensation cases invoking the coming and going rule and its exceptions, as one might expect, often rise and fall on the unique facts specific to the circumstances of the employment relationship between the injured worker and his employer. Factors to consider when pursuing a workers compensation claim following a commuting related injury include:

Does the employee operate a company vehicle?
Does the employee take his work vehicle home?
Is the work vehicle part of the employee’s compensation package?
Is the employee “on call” outside of usual business hours?
Does the employee report to a single, stationary job site each day or can his worksite vary from day-to-day?
Does the employee receive travel time or mileage reimbursement from his employer?
Was the employee carrying out an errand at the request of or for the benefit of his employer?

Anyone who is injured while engaging in activities even partially related to their employment relationship such as commuting or traveling should take care to have their potential claims reviewed by a legal professional who understands the unique nuances of Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation law.

Michael A. O’Donnell, Esq.

O’Donnell Law Offices

267 Wyoming Avenue

Kingston, Pa. 18704

(Office) 570-821-5717

(Fax) 570-821-5799

michael@odonnell-law.com

The post Traveling for work – workers’ compensation rights when injured on the road first appeared on O'Donnell Law.

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