Archive for July, 2019

How Life Altering Is a Spinal Cord Injury After a Work Accident?

July 26th, 2019 at 9:33 am

spine-injuryEveryone experiences back pain at least once in their life, but there are injuries that can happen to the spine after an accident at work that can alter a person’s life forever. Housed by vertebrae is a delicate nervous system highway, called the spinal cord, that allows us to move and feel. Any damage to the spinal cord can cause paralysis and loss of sensation to the body below the injury site. Although any worker can be injured on the job in high-risk industries such as construction, workers’ compensation is essential to ensure the protection of workers who are hurt while at work.

How Does Workers’ Compensation Help?

Workers’ compensation insurance is required to be had by most employers, no matter their size. In the event that a worker gets injured while doing their job, and cannot continue working for a short or long period, workers’ compensation takes care of their needs. With not being able to work, workers’ compensation provides lost wage support. The longer a person cannot work, the more money they will receive. With injuries, come medical bills as well. Workers’ compensation also covers medical expenses for what has been caused by work conditions.

Spinal cord injuries can happen when the spinal cord itself is damaged, or the surrounding tissue or bone causes damage to the spinal cord. A fall or puncture from a piece of machinery can dislocate or fracture the vertebrae which house the spinal cord. When the spinal cord is damaged, transmissions from the brain are unable to make it to affected areas.

When a person suffers a spinal cord injury at work, their whole career can be jeopardized. At a physically demanding job, a worker will most likely not be able to return to their position due to paralyzation. Spinal cord injuries can cause paraplegia or quadriplegia where the body is permanently paralyzed past a certain point. A person’s quality of life can change in an instant, and they may not even be able to return home due to physical limitations. Surgeries can only do so much, and physical therapy may only regain minimal movement and feeling. People with spinal cord injuries are able to live relatively normal lives depending on the damage, but they will most likely be confined to a wheelchair.

Contact a Cook County Workers’ Compensation Attorney

If you have experienced a spinal cord injury or any other life-altering injury at work that has caused pain and suffering, contact an experienced Chicago workers’ compensation attorney. Contact us at 630-574-2288 to arrange a free consultation, and get the workers’ compensation benefits you deserve.




The Difference Between Workers’ Compensation and Personal Injury

July 15th, 2019 at 9:28 am

Workers’ compensationIL work injury lawyer, Illinois workers comp attorney and personal injury cases are similar in that an injury can be reimbursed with monetary value, but they are two different aspects of the law that require their own unique strategies. The truth is that personal injury rarely comes up when faced with an injury at work scenario. Instead, workers are protected by workers’ compensation.

Workers’ compensation covers missed wages and medical expenses when an employee is injured at work. Most employers are required to have a workers’ compensation insurance no matter the size of their business or how many employees they have. Instead of an employee suing the company they work for, or another employee, workers’ compensation resolves the issue rather than a personal injury lawsuit. However, there are exceptions to this. Certain workers have the right to file a personal injury lawsuit against their employers such as Navy service men or interstate railway workers. Another situation is if a third party involved in a work injury. They can be sued for personal injury, however, the employer still cannot.

The biggest differences between workers’ compensation and personal injury claims are fault, compensation, and consideration of pain and suffering.

In a personal injury accident, the fault of the incident plays a big factor in compensation. In order to win a personal injury case, the fault must be determined. If a drunk driver causes a car accident, then they are at fault for a person’s injuries because they were breaking the law and the accident likely would not have happened if they were sober. When a person is injured at work, the fault is not a factor that is considered when rewarding benefits. A worker could have caused their injury, and they still have the right to collect workers’ compensation benefits. The results would be the same if a co-worker caused the accident.

When a worker gets workers’ compensation benefits for a temporary disability, their medical bills, rehabilitation, and lost wages are covered. A person is compensated more if the injury results in a permanent disability that prevents returning the workforce. A personal injury lawsuit can end in these results as well, but also have the opportunity to win property and lost potential earning damages.

As part of not being able to due to personal injury, an employer cannot sue for pain and suffering caused by a work accident. The benefits given will instead reflect the severity of the injury. For example, more benefits will be given to a person whose leg is amputated versus a broken leg. In a personal injury lawsuit, pain and suffering can be considered when seeking damages in a lawsuit.

Contact a Chicago Workers’ Compensation Attorney

While you cannot sue for personal injury from your employer in most cases, you still deserve appropriate workers’ compensation benefits. If your employer is uncooperative after an injury at work, contact an experienced Cook County workers’ compensation attorney today to have a lawyer advocate on your behalf. Contact us at 630-574-2288 to arrange a free consultation today.





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