Kearney sits at the crossroads of Interstate 80 in central Nebraska, with an economy anchored by two dominant employers: the University of Nebraska at Kearney (approximately 2,000 employees) and Good Samaritan Hospital (approximately 1,500 employees). Together, they employ the equivalent of 11 percent of the city's 34,000 residents. Beyond these anchors, Kearney supports a significant manufacturing sector — including Baldwin Filters, Eaton Corporation, and West Pharmaceutical Services — along with agriculture, tourism, and a growing retail and service economy.

Whether you're a healthcare worker at Good Samaritan, a university employee at UNK, a production worker at Baldwin Filters or Eaton, or a farm worker in Buffalo County — if you've been injured on the job, you have the right to workers' compensation benefits. Johnson Tabor & Johnson represents injured workers throughout Kearney and the surrounding region.

Our senior partner spent over 40 years as defense counsel for major insurance carriers. He knows exactly how insurers evaluate workplace injury claims in Kearney and across Nebraska — and what it takes to win.

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Key Industries & Workplace Hazards in Kearney

Kearney workers face industry-specific risks that require an attorney who understands both the hazards and the insurance tactics used to deny claims. Here are the industries driving workplace injuries in the Kearney area:

Healthcare

Good Samaritan Hospital is Kearney's second-largest employer and the regional medical center for a wide area of central Nebraska. Patient lifting injuries, needlestick injuries, workplace violence, and repetitive stress injuries are common among nurses, CNAs, and hospital support staff.

University & Education

The University of Nebraska at Kearney is the city's largest employer. Faculty, maintenance staff, food service workers, and grounds crews all face workplace injury risks — from slip and falls to repetitive stress to equipment injuries.

Manufacturing

Kearney's manufacturing sector includes Baldwin Filters (filtration products), Eaton Corporation (automotive components), West Pharmaceutical Services, and others. Machine injuries, chemical exposure, repetitive motion injuries, and hearing loss are common hazards.

Agriculture

Buffalo County ranks in the top 10 Nebraska counties for beef and corn production. Farm equipment accidents, grain bin entrapments, livestock injuries, and heat-related illness are significant risks for agricultural workers in the Kearney area.

 Our Insurance Defense Background Works for You. Our senior partner spent over 40 years defending insurance carriers in cases just like yours. We know how insurers evaluate Kearney workplace injury claims, what tactics they use to minimize payouts, and how to beat them. That insider knowledge now works for injured workers in Kearney and Buffalo County.

Kearney Workers Deserve Full Benefits

Kearney's position along I-80 also makes it a stopping point for thousands of commercial truck drivers daily. Trucking accidents and injuries sustained during loading and unloading are common. Additionally, Kearney's tourism industry — driven by events like the Sandhill Crane migration, the Nebraska Cattlemen's Classic, and university athletics — employs hospitality and service workers who face their own injury risks.

Nebraska workers' compensation provides medical benefits, temporary and permanent disability benefits, vocational rehabilitation, and mileage reimbursement. For a full breakdown of available benefits, visit our Nebraska Workers' Compensation Benefits Explained page. To learn more about the steps to take after an injury, see our What to Do After a Workplace Injury guide.

If your claim has been denied, don't give up — visit our Appeals & Denied Claims page. And if a third party contributed to your injury, you may be entitled to additional compensation through a third-party liability claim.

Serving Kearney and Buffalo County

Johnson Tabor & Johnson represents injured workers in Kearney, Gibbon, Shelton, Ravenna, Elm Creek, Holdrege, Lexington, and surrounding Buffalo County communities.

No matter where you work in the Kearney area, our attorneys are ready to fight for your benefits. Workers' compensation cases are filed with the statewide Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court — not a local court — so our Omaha-based firm handles cases across the entire state with the same aggressiveness and attention to detail.

Frequently Asked Questions: Workers' Comp in Kearney

Kearney's largest employers are the University of Nebraska at Kearney and Good Samaritan Hospital. Manufacturing employers like Baldwin Filters and Eaton Corporation are also significant. The most common injuries include patient handling injuries in healthcare, repetitive stress and machine injuries in manufacturing, slip and falls at the university, and agricultural injuries in surrounding Buffalo County.

Yes. University of Nebraska employees are covered under the state's self-insured workers' compensation program. If you were injured while performing job duties at UNK, you are entitled to the same benefits as any other Nebraska worker — medical care, wage replacement, and permanent disability compensation.

It depends on whether your employer carries workers' compensation insurance. Nebraska law exempts certain agricultural operations from mandatory coverage. However, many larger agricultural employers do carry coverage. If your employer is uninsured, you may have a personal injury claim instead. Contact us for a free evaluation.

Nebraska law requires you to report your injury to your employer 'as soon as practicable.' While there is no fixed deadline, delays in reporting can give the insurance company grounds to deny your claim. Report the same day if possible, and do so in writing.

At Johnson Tabor & Johnson, there is no upfront cost. We work on a contingency fee basis — you pay nothing unless we win. Your initial consultation is free.