Juan, an undocumented immigrant, was left paralyzed after a roofing accident in Wisconsin. He was working on a sheet-metal roof in Madison when he fell through a sheet of insulation and fractured his spine.
Challenges in Tracking Down Employers
Juan’s case highlights the challenges of tracking down employers who don’t have worker’s compensation insurance. His attorneys had to do ‘amateur detective’ work to identify his employer, RestoreMasters, a Florida-based contractor.
RestoreMasters did not have worker’s compensation insurance in Wisconsin, which meant that Juan had to rely on the state’s Uninsured Employers Fund to cover his medical bills. The fund is designed to help workers who are injured on the job when their employers don’t have insurance.
A Cautionary Tale
Juan’s story is a cautionary tale for undocumented immigrants who work in construction and other high-risk industries. Many of these workers are afraid to ask questions about their employment arrangements or to report injuries for fear of losing their jobs or being deported.
Juan’s attorneys estimate that roughly three-quarters of the Uninsured Employers Fund claims they have pursued involved undocumented workers. The lack of worker’s compensation insurance is a common problem in the construction industry, where many employers try to cut costs by avoiding insurance premiums.
In Juan’s case, the state eventually determined that RestoreMasters was his employer at the time of the accident and was responsible for failing to secure a worker’s compensation insurance policy in Wisconsin. The company agreed to pay Juan’s medical bills and compensation for his injuries, which totaled nearly $1 million.
Original reporting: Wisconsin Watch — read the source article.
