Crush injuries sustained on the job may make it difficult or impossible for you to work while you heal. Although harm of this nature usually occurs at job sites with heavy automated equipment, you could sustain one in a car accident while visiting a client or in any situation where your body is subjected to substantial pressure. Even if your skin is not broken, your bones could be, along with internal bleeding and nerve damage.
Under state law, you are entitled to submit a claim for workers’ compensation benefits if your crush injury happened while you were performing your job. These benefits could help you cover your medical bills and the wages you may lose while you recover. Depending on your situation, permanent disability may also be available. If you face extensive and expensive medical treatment after a work-related injury, a Gainesville crush injury lawyer from Smith Hulsey is here to help. Contact our firm today to discuss your unique situation with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.
Although employees cannot bring a lawsuit against employers if they apply for and collect workers’ compensation, if a third party contributed to their injuries through a negligent act or omission, they may be able to file a civil lawsuit for additional compensation. A Gainesville attorney would have to prove negligence by showing the at-fault employee had a duty to workers’ safety, fell short of that duty, and caused a crush accident that injured another employee.
Crush injuries can involve several of the body’s systems. At its worst, crush syndrome is caused by catastrophic compression, usually to large areas of muscle. The injured party will lose blood and body fluids and will likely go into shock, renal failure, and hematuria.
Severe bone crush injuries involve comminuted fractures when a bone is shattered into several pieces. These fractures could require numerous surgeries and probably entail rods, plates, screws, and pins to stabilize the crushed bone.
One phenomenon of a crush injury is compartment syndrome, in which crushed soft tissue swells and presses on a compartment of nerves, blood vessels, or muscles. The pressure causes blood flow to be blocked out of the affected compartment, eventually leaving oxygenated blood no longer flowing into the compartment. The dying tissues can lead to permanent injury and possibly amputation. Other lesser complications from a crush injury at work are:
A savvy crush injury attorney serving Gainesville could ensure that an injured employee’s information is correctly submitted to workers’ compensation so that needed benefits will be available as quickly as possible.
The state’s workers’ compensation system provides medical benefits and at least partial wage replacement to injured employees. Unlike negligence lawsuits, injured workers do not have to prove their employers did anything to cause the accident with injuries.
All Georgia employers with at least three employees must carry workers’ compensation insurance. As a Gainesville crush injury attorney could further explain, employees have up to 30 days to notify their employer that they intend to file a claim. In the claims process, the employee’s physician and one certified by the state will assess the injuries and give their opinions, which will result in temporary or permanent disability that is either partial or total. Benefits are calculated from this information. A workers’ compensation attorney should assist in preserving and categorizing evidence so a fair determination can be made.
Employers face an increase in their workers’ compensation insurance premiums when employees are injured and file claims, so they have an interest in benefits that least impact the insurance company’s bottom line. Insurance companies seek profit and are not inclined to be generous, denying claims on a whim in hopes the injured worker becomes frustrated and goes away.
Employees can appeal denials and appear at a hearing before a special judge. An attorney serving Gainesville should be present to advocate for the employee hurt in a crush incident. If the special judge decides against the employee, another appeal is available in state court.
Crush injuries are often severe, and the consequences are long-lasting—expensive medical care, inability to work, and loss of physical functions. If your injury occurs at work, the state offers workers’ compensation benefits through mandatory insurance employers must carry.
Smith Hulsey’s objective is to help those who need us. We are well-versed in Georgia’s worker’s compensation system and will work tirelessly to help your claim be successful. Call a Gainesville crush injury lawyer at our firm if you are in need of legal guidance.
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