Often, yes — and it is one of the most important things an injured worker can understand. Workers' compensation is a no-fault claim against your own employer. It typically covers medical care and a portion of your lost wages, but it does not compensate you for pain and suffering or your full losses, and it is limited to your employer.
A third-party claim is entirely separate. Many workplaces bring together multiple companies — contractors, vendors, delivery drivers, equipment makers, and property owners. When one of them, not your employer, created the hazard that hurt you, you may have a claim against that company for your full damages, including pain and suffering and complete lost earnings.
You may be able to pursue both at once. They are coordinated — a comp lien may apply to part of a third-party recovery — but together they often mean the difference between partial and full recovery. Sorting out who else was responsible is exactly the investigation we handle.