Hurt at Work in Lewiston? This Is Our Home.
Goicoechea Law is Lewiston’s workers’ compensation firm. Michael Kessinger has spent more than 20 years representing injured workers in the Lewis-Clark Valley — trying cases before the Idaho Industrial Commission in Lewiston, winning appeals before the Idaho Supreme Court, and fighting insurance companies on behalf of workers at some of the largest employers in the region.
If you were hurt on the job in Lewiston, Clarkston, Asotin, or anywhere in Nez Perce County, call 208.743.2313 for a free, confidential case review. No fee unless we win.
We Have Tried Cases Against Lewiston’s Largest Employers
Currin v. Clearwater Paper Corporation — Idaho Industrial Commission (2015)
Clearwater Paper is one of the largest employers in the Lewis-Clark Valley. When David Currin injured his knee on the job, the insurance company denied that his need for a total knee replacement was work-related, pointing instead to a prior ACL repair from years earlier. We took the case to hearing in Lewiston and won: the Idaho Industrial Commission found that the industrial accident was causally related to the need for the total knee replacement and awarded medical benefits, temporary total disability, and permanent total disability.
Read the Industrial Commission decision →
Harrison v. ATK Alliant Techsystems — Idaho Industrial Commission (2009 & 2013)
ATK’s ammunition plant in Lewiston is one of the largest manufacturing employers in the region. We represented an ATK worker who developed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome and de Quervain’s tenosynovitis from years of repetitive work at the ammunition assembly line. The insurance company relied on normal nerve conduction studies to deny further medical care. We won at the Idaho Industrial Commission, establishing that clinical findings are sufficient to support a claim even when nerve conduction studies are normal. We secured authorization for a needed surgery.
We later returned for a second hearing and won permanent partial disability benefits of 55% for the same worker, after a detailed analysis of her bilateral upper extremity restrictions and their impact on the labor market.
Read the 2009 Industrial Commission decision → Read the 2013 Industrial Commission decision →
Mayer v. TPC Holdings (Lewiston Morning Tribune) — Idaho Industrial Commission & Idaho Supreme Court (2015 & 2016)
TPC Holdings is the parent company of the Lewiston Morning Tribune. When Keith Mayer was injured on the job and later died from an unrelated cause before his disability case was resolved, the insurance company argued that his permanent partial disability benefits died with him and were no longer payable to his survivors. We disagreed.
The Idaho Industrial Commission sided with us, and when the insurance company appealed, the Idaho Supreme Court affirmed: permanent partial disability benefits survive the death of a claimant from an unrelated cause. His family received the benefits he had earned.
Read the Industrial Commission decision → Read the Idaho Supreme Court decision →
Kelly v. Blue Ribbon Linen Supply — Idaho Industrial Commission & Idaho Supreme Court (2014 & 2015)
Blue Ribbon Linen is a major Lewiston employer. When a Blue Ribbon worker was injured in an automobile accident while traveling to a medical examination the insurance company had scheduled and required her to attend, the Commission ruled the injury was not compensable. We appealed to the Idaho Supreme Court and won: injuries sustained while traveling to a surety-compelled IME arise out of and in the course of employment. The employer bears the risk of travel conditions it imposes on an injured worker.
Read the Industrial Commission decision → Read the Idaho Supreme Court decision →
Wells v. Swift Transportation — Idaho Industrial Commission (2020)
Swift Transportation operates out of Lewiston and employs local truck drivers throughout the region. Jason Wells suffered a left inguinal hernia when he struggled with unusually stiff trailer landing gear on the job. The injury went undiagnosed for nearly three years while the insurance company denied benefits, relying on physicians who failed to accurately identify the hernia. We took the case to hearing in Lewiston and won temporary disability benefits for the full period from the date of injury through his hernia repair. The Commission awarded attorney fees for Swift’s unreasonable denial of benefits.
Read the Industrial Commission decision →
What We Do for Lewiston-Area Workers
The Lewis-Clark Valley’s economy runs on manufacturing, transportation, paper and timber production, healthcare, and agriculture. Work injuries happen in all of these industries — and when they do, insurance companies move quickly to minimize what they pay. Having a local attorney who knows the Idaho Industrial Commission process, knows the Lewiston labor market, and has tried cases against the valley’s largest employers makes a real difference.
We represent injured workers in Lewiston, Orofino, Grangeville, Kamiah, and throughout Nez Perce County and North Central Idaho in all phases of a workers’ compensation claim:
- Denied and disputed claims — When the insurance company says your injury isn’t covered
- Medical benefit disputes — When treatment is denied, delayed, or cut off before you have recovered
- Causation disputes — When the insurance company argues your injury is pre-existing or unrelated to work
- Temporary total disability (TTD) — When you cannot work and need wage replacement benefits
- Permanent impairment and disability ratings — When your injury has lasting effects on your earning capacity
- Independent Medical Examinations (IMEs) — When the insurance company’s doctor reaches a different conclusion than your treating physician
- Idaho Industrial Commission hearings — Full representation through contested proceedings
- Idaho Supreme Court appeals — When the Commission gets it wrong
What Lewiston Workers Need to Know
Pre-existing conditions do not bar your claim. Insurance companies routinely deny or minimize claims by pointing to prior injuries, prior surgeries, or degenerative conditions. Idaho law requires the employer to take you as it finds you. If a work accident aggravates or accelerates a pre-existing condition, it is compensable.
A missed diagnosis does not absolve the work comp carrier from liability. As the Wells case illustrates, insurance companies sometimes close claims or deny benefits based on medical opinions that later prove to be wrong. If your condition was misdiagnosed or your injury took time to manifest, you may still have a claim.
Benefits can survive your death. If you have a pending disability claim and die from an unrelated cause, your earned benefits may be payable to your survivors. Do not assume a death ends the case.
There are deadlines. In Idaho, if no benefits have been paid, you generally have one year from the date of injury to initiate legal proceedings. Do not wait.
Why Goicoechea Law
We are Lewiston. Our office is at 826 Main Street in Lewiston. Our legal team lives and works in this community. We know the employers, we know the labor market, and we have tried cases before the Idaho Industrial Commission in Lewiston for more than 20 years.
Focused practice. We limit our practice to workers’ compensation and personal injury. You get an attorney who handles these cases every day — not a generalist.
Proven results against the valley’s largest employers. Our case results are published. You can read them before you call.
No fee unless we win. You pay nothing upfront. We are only paid if we recover benefits for you.
Free Case Review — Call Today
If you have been injured at work in Lewiston or anywhere in Nez Perce County, contact Goicoechea Law today for a free, confidential case review.
Call 208.743.2313 or fill out our online contact form. There is no obligation and no attorney fee unless we win your case.