The Highest Compensation For Your Work-Related Injuries.

Lawyers Fighting For New Mexico Film Industry Workers’ Right To Compensation

Telling stories on the big and silver screens has been rewarding for countless individuals in New Mexico. However, as the old saying goes, all that glitters isn’t always gold. The film industry is a fast-paced and high-stakes world.

However, this exciting nature can create dangerous situations that put cast and crew members at risk of serious harm. Film industry workers who suffer injuries on set or during production due to unsafe working conditions or negligence may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits.

While your job is unique from many others across New Mexico and the rest of the country, you can still seek workers’ compensation for your film set injury. At Pizzonia Law, LLC, we know how to fight for the rights and compensation of injured film set workers.

Understanding Film Industry Workers’ Compensation Claims

The film industry creates different dangers than most other jobs. Movie crews work under tight deadlines. This pressure can make people skip safety steps and cause more accidents on the job site. Film set safety matters even more because so many different jobs have their own risks.

Each job on a movie set brings its own dangers. For example, directors, assistant directors, producers and production assistants may encounter risks while overseeing complex scenes.

Camera operators frequently position themselves near dangerous stunts or special effects. Prop masters work with dangerous materials and weapons. Stunt performers do risky physical work. Lighting technicians use electrical equipment and work at high elevations. Sound mixers work in tight spaces or unsafe locations. Stylists and costume designers might suffer injuries due to equipment or sudden movements during quick costume changes.

How Could You Get Injured On A Film Set?

There’s nothing more exciting than watching TV and movie magic come to life. However, how magic happens can sometimes result in people getting hurt. Common causes of New Mexico movie set worker injuries include.

Stunts went wrong: Suffering a gunshot wound from a live round, doing a backflip and landing the wrong way, falls from high platforms, cranes or scaffolding. There have been some high-profile instances where stunt doubles died as a result of these accidents.
Special effects errors include burn injuries from pyrotechnics or explosions, crashing a vehicle trying to get a specific camera shot, and an actor falling due to a broken wire or snap harness.
Electrical hazards: Tripping on electrical wires, receiving electric shock from improperly maintained lights or other electrical cables.
Repetitive stress injuries: Holding a camera or boom mic in the same position for long hours over multiple days or years, sustaining severe strains or tears from participating in a physically demanding acting role.
Animal-related injuries: Getting bit or hit by animals on set. Sustaining long-term physical illness from working with animals that carry diseases.
Vehicle injuries: Getting hit by a car, truck or train used in a specific scene. Crashing a motorcycle during a chase scene.
Equipment injuries: Injuries from cameras, lights or other film equipment that can lead to serious bodily harm, falling props, equipment or set pieces.
Set construction injuries: Any injury sustained from the assembling or disassembling of film sets.

While many directors, producers and studios have thorough safety procedures to reduce the risk of accidents like these, they can, and often do, still happen, if you suffer an injury while on a movie or TV set in New Mexico, call us at 505-445-2109. We can help you seek the compensation you deserve.

What Benefits Does Workers’ Compensation Cover For Film Set Injuries?

The film and television industry is no different than other industries in the Land of Enchantment regarding workplace injuries. If you get hurt on the job, you can pursue workers’ compensation to receive benefits such as:

Lost wages: Two-thirds of your gross weekly wages while you’re out of work.
Medical benefits: Coverage for health and medical treatment related to your workplace injury.
Disability benefits: Permanent disability benefits if your injury leaves you unable to return to work.
Death benefits: Death and dismemberment benefits for your family if you were to die as a result of your injury.

You can learn more about the workers’ compensation benefits by visiting our workers’ compensation page.

Are You Covered By New Mexico Workers’ Comp As An Independent Contractor?

If a film studio contracts you to perform work, you may not be covered by the studio’s workers’ compensation insurance. However, if you carry your own insurance, you can still seek compensation through them. No matter where your compensation benefits come from, we will help you fight to obtain them.

What To Do If You’ve Been Injured On A Film Set

Getting hurt on a film set is serious business. If it happens to you, you and your co-workers must immediately act. Make you follow these steps:

Seek the medical attention you need: Whether you need to go to the hospital or take a trip to urgent care, you must figure out how bad the damage is before it gets worse. Even if you feel fine after an accident, it can sometimes take days, even weeks, for signs or symptoms of an injury to appear.
Document the injury: If others were present with you during the time of the injury, make sure to have them take pictures or sign witness statements describing the situation and what happened.
Report the injury: After the injury occurs, tell your employer as soon as possible. Different film studios may have other reporting requirements, so checking before submitting a claim is essential. If the studio does not have a sound injury reporting system, you can file a claim with the state OSHA office.
Call an attorney: Once you have the necessary paperwork and evidence, please call us. We can help compile the evidence and witness statements. We can help you make a compelling case for you to seek compensation.

If your initial workers’ comp claim gets rejected, there’s no need to worry. We can help you file an appeal so that you can have a second chance at obtaining benefits.

Are Film Studios Required To Carry Workers’ Compensation Insurance?

Like all other employers in New Mexico, film studios typically must carry workers’ compensation insurance. However, the type of coverage they take can depend on numerous factors, as the size of film sets and crews can vary drastically. If you have additional questions about what your employer’s workers’ comp benefits should and should not cover, call us at 505-445-2109.

Get Help With Your New Mexico Movie Set Workers’ Compensation Claim

There’s nothing quite as magical as working on a film or television set. However, injuries big and small can and still do happen. And when you suffer one, you deserve to get what you need to recover just like anyone else.

Did you get hurt while working on a movie set in Albuquerque, Santa Fe or anywhere else in New Mexico? We can help you. Our Albuquerque film industry workers’ compensation lawyers know how to handle these cases. Call 505-445-2109 today or send an email to discuss your case.