Not all workplace injuries are the same, yet almost all entail negative consequences for the affected worker’s future health, occupational performance, finances, and even family situation. Workers’ compensation is designed to help mitigate the impact of the injury by providing the necessary financial support during recovery and, in some cases, even throughout the rest of a victim’s life.

However, if you have suffered a work-related injury, you may be wondering whether the specific circumstances related to the nature of your job, your workplace, or the accident itself will legally justify filing a compensation claim. The good news is that workers compensation may cover a wide variety of occupational injuries and illnesses. Read on to find some of the examples of most common workers’ compensation claims.

Total knee, shoulder, and hip replacement surgery

Joint injuries including injuries of the knee, shoulder or hip are common-place workplace ailments, especially if your work requires you to carry heavy loads for long hours, day-in, day-out. These injuries are often experienced by workers in the construction industry or by those who perform other heavy lifting and carrying jobs.

A joint injury may occur as a result of years of strenuous activity or momentary overexertion. In some cases, the only treatment option you may be presented with is a complicated and expensive total joint replacement procedure. 

Unfortunately, at times, such an operation may not completely solve your injury problem and the damage to the joint may even become aggravated. 

If you have undergone a total knee, shoulder, or hip replacement surgery as a result of a work-related injury, Hughes & Coleman attorneys may help you obtain workers’ compensation to cover the related medical expenses and other financial losses..

Paralysis (including paraplegia, incomplete paraplegia, and quadriplegia)

A wide variety of workplace accidents that result in brain, neck or spinal cord injury may leave a worker partially or fully paralyzed. Paralysis is often defined as a loss of muscle function or a loss of feeling. The most severe forms of paralysis include paraplegia (paralysis of the lower extremities), incomplete paraplegia (paralysis of the lower extremities where some motor or sensory function remains), and quadriplegia (paralysis in all four limbs).

Injured workers often experience paralysis as a result of the following accidents:

• Falls
• Vehicle accidents
• Machinery accidents
• Caught-in and caught-between incidents
• Struck-by accidents

Depending on the seriousness of the injury, paralysis can severely affect the injured person’s ability to work. In many cases, the worker won’t be able to return to practicing his trade or perform any kind of work at all. In addition, paraplegia and quadriplegia in most cases also entail the need for costly – and often continuous – rehabilitation and medical attention.

Medical costs related to the treatment and rehabilitation of paralysis can be crushing for the budget of virtually any person or family. However, workers’ compensation can help the victim and their family to carry this enormous financial load. If you or a family member have suffered paralysis as a result of a workplace or work-related accident, please contact Hughes & Coleman Injury Lawyers without delay.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Or Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), formerly called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) is a condition characterized by chronic pain felt in the arms, legs, hands, or feet. The victim often develops CRPS after a traumatic injury affecting the bone, muscle, soft tissue, or nerve tissue. While pain usually starts in one of the limbs only, the sensation can spread to other limbs, previously unaffected by the injury. While CRPS often follows a serious or even catastrophic injury, even minor injuries can lead to its development.

Even though CRPS is a serious condition with potentially debilitating consequences, claiming workers’ compensation in relation to the syndrome may be challenging. This is due to the fact that the condition is usually very costly to treat, and so employers and insurance companies tend to fight and resist CRPS workers’ compensation claims. That’s why you need an experienced and confident attorney who will be able to defend your claim and win the full amount of compensation you deserve. Our Hughes & Coleman attorneys have ample experience in representing workplace accident victims who developed CRPS. With our assistance, you can be sure that your case will be courageously and adequately represented.

Head Injuries and Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) 

A head injury, including a traumatic brain injury (TBI), usually occurs after a trauma to the head caused by a slip and fall accident, being struck by an object or a motor vehicle crash. Head injuries and TBIs are extremely serious conditions and even a so-called mild brain injury can have dramatic, long-term consequences for a person’s life and their ability to perform work.

Symptoms of a brain injury can manifest themselves right after the accident or after a period of time. Most common indications of a traumatic brain injury include:

• Momentary loss of consciousness
• Dizziness, confusion, disorientation
• Headache or persistent, repetitive headaches
• Nausea or vomiting
• Sensory problems and sensitivity to light
• Cognitive or mental changes such as mood swings, loss of memory, inability to concentrate
• Speech or language impairment include aphasia
• Coma

Workers’ compensation can cover medical expenses related to the initial trauma treatment and the rehabilitation required so that the victim may regain their cognitive abilities to the greatest extent possible. The compensation can also pay for the costs related to assistance in finding new employment if the victim is unable to continue in their previous occupation.

Hughes & Coleman attorneys treat head and traumatic brain injury victims with great compassion and respect, offering them unwavering support in their struggle to obtain the full amount of compensation they deserve.

Electrocution

Electrocution can result in serious and debilitating injuries such as burns, damage to the muscles or internal organs, cardiac arrest or even death. In many cases, the victim will require extensive and prolonged medical attention and a period of rehabilitation. As a result of the injuries sustained, a person’s ability to work may be temporarily or permanently affected.

While the risk of suffering an electric shock at work is the highest for electricians, mechanics, or employees who work with machines, an electrocution accident can happen regardless of a person’s workplace or their occupation. Therefore, you should contact an attorney to help you fight for your right to workers’ compensation whatever the circumstances of your electrocution accident may be.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

While most people associate post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, with the experiences of a warzone, any person who suffered a serious accident or witnessed a traumatic event – whether or not they have been directly affected by it. First responders including police officers, firefighters, and paramedics may be especially prone to suffer from PTSD. However, the syndrome can affect workers and employees across the occupational spectrum.

Symptoms of PTSD may include:

• Anxiety
• Depression
• Nightmares
• Obsessive-compulsive behaviors
• Self-destructive tendencies
• Flashbacks related to the trauma

PTSD is a serious mental health issue whose effect on a personal social and professional life cannot be underestimated. However, since the symptoms of PTSD are not outwardly visible, employers and insurers may try to minimize the seriousness of your condition and play down your mental and emotional suffering. Nevertheless, you can rest assured that Hughes and Coleman attorneys will not only treat you with compassion and understanding you deserve but also courageously fight for your right to obtain workers compensation for your PTSD.

PTSD is a serious mental health issue whose effect on a personal social and professional life cannot be underestimated. However, since the symptoms of PTSD are not outwardly visible, employers and insurers may try to minimize the seriousness of your condition and play down your mental and emotional suffering. Nevertheless, you can rest assured that Hughes and & Coleman attorneys will not only treat you with compassion and understanding you deserve but also courageously fight for your right to obtain workers compensation for your PTSD.

Compartment Syndrome

Compartment syndrome is a little-known yet serious and potentially debilitating condition that occurs as a result of the buildup of pressure inside a muscle or a set of muscles. The pressure prevents oxygenated blood from flowing freely through the muscle, effectively depriving the affected body part of oxygen which may result in muscle death and require amputation.

The syndrome can develop over a period of time as a result of persistent and repetitive muscle movement, but it can also occur in its acute form when a worker’s limb is pinched or crushed between two surfaces. Construction workers are often at the greatest risk of suffering from this serious condition.

The treatment of the acute form of compartment syndrome almost invariably includes a surgical procedure. Chronic compartment syndrome may require pharmacological treatment and rehabilitation.

Heart Attack & Stroke

Both heart disease and stroke are some of the leading causes of death in the United States. Even when these conditions aren’t fatal, though, suffering a heart attack or stroke usually entails extremely serious, life-altering consequences for the person’s health and well-being. In some instances, full recovery is no longer possible. Of course, medical treatment and rehabilitation related to heart disease and stroke can result in enormous financial losses.

It seems intuitive that job-related stress and the pressures of workplace performance can have a negative effect on a worker’s health and greatly increase the risk of suffering either a heart attack or a stroke. Still, workers’ compensation claims related to these conditions are often disputed by the insurance companies. This is due to the fact that it may be challenging to prove that a person’s heart attack or stroke was directly related to their work.

If you believe that your heart attack or stroke was caused by your employment conditions, you need a confident attorney who will be able to present a strong case for compensation. Our legal team at Hughes & Coleman will closely analyze the details related to your working conditions, medical historyhistory, and injuries in order to put forward an ironclad claim to the full amount of compensation you deserve.

Hearing or Vision Loss

Complete or partial loss of vision and hearing loss are arguably some of the most debilitating injuries a person can suffer at the workplace. The impairment may occur due to a momentary incident, an underlying medical condition developed as a result of the employment or through prolonged exposure to an environmental hazard.

If you suffered hearing or vision loss that you believe is work-related, you may claim workers’ compensation benefits to cover the costs of medical procedures and treatment aiming to save or restore the damaged senses and organs. The compensation may also cover the expenses related to hearing or vision aids that you may need due to your injury.

Occupational Diseases

An occupational disease is most commonly defined as a disease or ailment developed due to the specific nature of an employment or particular kind of work. Some occupational diseases occur as a result of exposure to certain environmental hazards, for example, toxic substances. Others may be related to repetitive movements or years of strenuous activity. The state laws of both Kentucky and Texas provide for the possibility of filing a workers’ compensation claim in relation to an occupational disease.

A workers’ compensation claims are often filed in connection one of the following common occupational diseases:

• Mesothelioma
• Legionnaires disease
• Cancer
• Asbestosis
• Silicosis
• Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis (CWP)
• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Exposure to Toxins and Chemical Poisoning

Exposure to toxins at the workplace as well as chemical poisoning that caused negative health effects may both constitute a basis for a valid workers’ compensation claim. Importantly, since an injured worker is entitled to compensation regardless of fault or negligence that may have occurred, such a claim can be put forward even if the worker has failed to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from the exposure.

Dangerous toxins or chemicals that a person may be exposed to at the workplace include:

• Ammonia
• Arsenic
• Asbestos
• Benzene
• Chloroform
• Formaldehyde
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Iodine
• Lead
• Mercury
• Uranium

Catastrophic Injuries

While all injuries are painful and debilitating to a certain degree, catastrophic injuries usually entail serious and life-altering damage to one’s body and health with little or no chance of complete recovery. Catastrophic injuries invariably require complex surgical procedures as well as prolonged treatment and rehabilitation. The results of suffering a catastrophic injury may include permanent disability, permanent inability to work, and the need for lifelong assistance.

Common examples of catastrophic injuries that a person may suffer during the course of their employment include:

• Amputation
• Dismemberment
• Severe 2nd- and 3rd-degree burns

Death

When a workplace accident results in death, the family members of the deceased person are left emotionally devastated and despairing. While no amount of compensation can make up for the loss of a beloved family member, workers’ compensation may provide the financial support that is so needed in such an extremely taxing situation and can help cover the expenses related to the funeral and burial.

If your family member has died because of injuries suffered at the workplace, Hughes and & Coleman injury attorneys will treat you with compassion and respect you deserve while fighting for financial compensation on your behalf.