Disability attorneys perform a vital function in a country where the risk of being injured due to the negligence of others runs so high.

In 2013 alone, workers reported more than three million job-related injuries and illnesses. And when you can’t work, your living expenses don’t stop. In the U.S., three quarters of the population lives paycheck to paycheck, and more than 25% of us have no savings at all. Fewer than one in four has the equivalent of six months worth of income to cover any emergencies that may arise.

What kind of workplace accident sidelines the most employees? Slip and fall injuries resulting from slick floors account for 85% of the total. 22% of those incidents caused employees to miss more than 31 days of work. Yet only 74% of states require that employers carry workers compensation insurance.

Disability attorneys help the injured party to get financial compensation that will offset any interruption of income and take care of any new and ongoing financial obligations. Studies have shown that medical expenses are the cause of 62% of personal bankruptcies.

A 20-year-old employee has a 25% chance of becoming disabled before age 67. Benefits are available from the Social Security Administration, but sadly it often takes the efforts of disability attorneys to cut through the bureaucracy and obtain them. Statistics show that in 2012 some 17% of the total Social Security recipients who began collecting benefits that year were on disability.

Advertising by disability and other personal injury attorneys is often misinterpreted as encouragement to sue when no valid claim exists. Although 79% of people believe that to be the case, it is not true. Any time you’re faced with government roadblocks or insurance company delay tactics that stand in the way of you getting what is rightfully yours, you’re better off having someone on your side who can advise you of your rights Disability attorneys have fought the battle before, and they know how to win.