AmputationsBone FracturesBurn InjuriesCarpal Tunnel SyndromeDisk InjuriesEye InjuriesHeart and Lung InjuriesHerniaNeck and Back InjuriesOld InjuriesPermanent InjuriesSoft Tissue InjuriesUnconsciousnessAmputations Depending on how the injury occurred, injuries that lead to accidents to amputation may be grounds for a personal injury lawsuit. If your doctor was careless, lack proper skills or disregarded established rules during your treatment it may be considered an act of negligence and a doctor may be liable for your amputation. If the injury resulting in amputation occurred on the job, workers compensation will probably play a part in your case. If you were injured in an auto accident, the case will be approached in yet a different way. The most important thing to do is to find an attorney who has had extensive experience in personal injury law. The attorney will be able to assess your case, help determine who was at fault and whether or not you have a basis for a claim and then take the necessary steps to help protect your financial interests. Keep all documentation concerning your injury and all paperwork related to the amputation itself and bring it with you when see the lawyer. It is important to act quickly in these kinds of matters since there may be statutes of limitation in place.
Contact us at Locke Meredith, Sean Fagan and Chad Dudley for more information.
Back to TopBone Fractures There are different kinds of bone fractures. Simple or closed fractures are not visible through the skin nor is there a skin wound near the fractured site. Compound or open fractures are bone separated partially or completely from the other half. A skin wound is also present; a bone can protrude through the skin. Bones can break in more than one place. To prevent a fracture always wear protective gear for activities and sports, wear your seatbelt, if you are a woman going through menopause take hormone replacement therapy, exercise moderately. Weight-bearing exercise such as walking, aerobics and dancing increases bone mass. Take calcium 1000-1500 milligrams as recommended per day. You may get this through good food sources or supplements.
Back to TopBurn Injuries The following areas must be addressed in assessing the damages legally due to a burn victim from a tort feasor. Medical expenses, past and future, psychological counseling for a victim and his family, past and future, loss of income and or earning capacity, past and future, pain and mental anguish, past and future, physical impairment, scarring, disfiguration, amputation, loss of consortium, loss of services and bystander's recovery must all be evaluated before settlement.
Back to TopCarpal Tunnel Syndrome Carpal tunnel syndrome is a nerve problem in the hands or wrist. Constant stress on the wrist and hand caused by repetitive use of the hand in a flexed position, such as when a keyboard, gripping tools, or scanning groceries may cause the tendons that run through the carpal tunnel in the wrist to become inflamed and swell. This in turn puts pressure on the sensory and motor nerves that run through the narrow carpal tunnel into the hand.
The mist tingling, severe pain in hand, and or loss of feeling or strength in the hand or fingers then occurs. Surgery is often required. However, although surgery helps carpal tunnel syndrome it many times means the end of a career involving repetitive hand usage. The amount of worker's compensation benefits you can receive depends on the extent of the injury, your average weekly at the time of the injury, and the year in which you are injured. Your employer should provide you with the necessary forms to file. Then if your employer doesn't dispute your benefits, you will begin to receive those benefits from the insurance company. If your claim is disputed, a hearing will be held and you may need the services of a
qualified attorney.
Back to TopDisk Injuries Disk injury is a very extensive and complicated classification of soft tissue injury. Simply put there are three levels of increasing severity. Grade one is called bulging disk. Grade Two is called ruptured disk and grade three is called herniated disk. The grade can be determined by the severity of the symptoms and by a CAT or MRI scan. If found to be positive, a neurosurgical consultation should be made immediately. These are serious injuries that could have a long range effect on your life. Immediate proper evaluation, treatment, and documentation could be crucial to a successful settlement outcome. The settlement outcome generally takes all elements of your past, present and future medical, emotional and financial needs into account. For more information on herniated or bulging disks consult with a
personal injury attorney.
Back to TopEye Damage Most eye injuries are caused by small, hard to see objects that get lodged into the eye or scrap the eye. Penetrating injuries also can occur from windshield, glass and automobile accidents. The most serious injuries are generally those that damage both the cornea and the crystal lined lens. Central cornea wounds can impair vision by causing scaring. The most serious injuries extend to the back of the eye to include the retina and posterior sclera. Blood trauma to the eyeball may cause tearing to the iris or rupture of the sclera with the collapse of the eyeball and permanent blindness. If you have injured your eye and feel that it may have been caused by someone else's negligence you may want to consult a
qualified personal injury attorney.
Back to TopHeart and Lung Injury Heart and lung injuries can result from any number of reasons. Car accidents, falls, unhealthy work conditions, and medical malpractice. The heart can be bruised or ruptured. The lungs can be punctured. In the event of a heart or lung injury, medical attention should be the first priority. Contacting a personal injury attorney may also be necessary. In personal injury cases each type of injury creates a unique problem and requires different types of evidence to prove. If you were injured due to the negligence, recklessness or intentional conduct of another person, product or company, a claim for personal injury may be filed so that you may be compensated for the physical and or emotional injuries that you received. Once negligence is established, personal laws give injured victims the right to be compensated. TO determine the types of damages that can be awarded to the plaintiff, courts look at the seriousness of the harm, the extent of the defendant's conduct and the circumstances surrounding the wrongful conduct. Time is of the essence in filing a personal injury lawsuit and it is very important in documenting every detail of how the injury came about, Medical administered and so forth. Personal Injury cases dealing with heart or lung injuries can be extremely complicated. Consult with a
qualified personal injury attorney about how to proceed with your case.
Back to TopHernia A hernia is a protrusion of the valves out through an area of weakness in the muscular layers surrounding the abdomen. This most often occurs in the groin area, at the belly-button, or a long and old surgical scar in the abdomen. Often hernias are caused by straining the muscles while lifting or doing some other strenuous activity. If repeated stress and strain on the job have caused a hernia, you may be eligible for a worker's compensation benefits. To be covered by worker's compensation, an injury need not be caused by a sudden accident, as in a fall. Equally common are claims for injuries due to repeated use of the body. A hernia falls into this category. Coverage will normally include payment for all medical expenses and possibly temporary disability payments. The legal boundary is that employees are protected by workers comp as long as they are in the course of employment when the injury occurs or if the employment situation aggravates the condition. Contact an
attorney familiar with worker's compensation law for more details.
Back to TopNeck and Back Even in what seems to be minor auto accidents, people can injure their neck and back. The force generated by an accident forces the spine forward and backward or side-to-side. This can tear and stretch muscle resulting in painful injuries. The soft disks that are between the vertebrate can also tear, a more serious injury. According to health agencies neck and back injuries are the most common reasons for missed work. They are also a common complaint made to doctors. Physical therapy is often an option for treatment. Surgery should always be the last possible resort to correct the damage. For more information consult a
qualified personal injury attorney.
Neck and back injuries can generally be classified into four types. Those involving direct injury to the spinal cord, those involving broken bones, those involving disk injury and those involving soft tissue injury. The most severe are those involving injury to the spinal cord, as they often involve paralysis or death. Disk injuries are more typically associated with damaged and nerve roots that run off of the spinal cord and produce pain, numbness or tingling in the extremities. Soft tissue injuries are the most common and can be as minor a simple sprain which clears up in a day or two. If you injure your back or neck at work report it to your employer as soon as possible. You should be eligible for worker's compensation benefits. Worker's compensation pays for any injuries or illnesses that happen while you are working. The amount of the payment depends on the type of injury and whether you are totally disable or partially disabled. You have a limited amount of time to file a worker's compensation claim. Your employer should provide you with the necessary forms. Then if your employer does not dispute you benefits, you will begin to receive those benefits from the insurance company. IF there is a dispute, your case will have to go to a hearing and at this stage you may want to contact an attorney who has experience with worker's compensation cases.
Back to TopOld Injuries In order to be covered by worker's compensation an injury or illness must be the result of on the job activity. Any old or existing injuries that you have when you begin employment will not be covered under worker's compensation laws. However if you reinjure yourself or exasperate an old injury while on the job, you may be entitled to compensation. Generally chronic complaints like carpal tunnel or respiratory problems must be proven to be a result of work-related activity in order to be covered. If you have a recurring health problem that affects your ability to work, and you can prove that it's the result of work-related activity, you could qualify for worker's compensation. There may be a cap on the amount you can receive or a limit on the amount of time you can be paid for a particular illness or disability. For more information, consult with a attorney that specializes in worker's compensation cases.
Back to TopPermanent Injury If you become permanently unable to do the job you were doing prior to an injury or unable to do any work at all you may be eligible to receive long-term or lump sum benefits. The amount of the payment you may be entitled to receive varies greatly with the nature and extent of your injuries. If you are permanently unable to return to work, you may qualify for social security disability benefits. Social security will, over the long run, provide more benefits than worker's compensation but be forewarned that these benefits are hard to get. They are reserved for seriously injured workers. To qualify you must be prevented from doing any substantial, gainful work and the injury must be expected to last at least twelve months or to result in death. If you think you may meet these requirements, contact your local social security office. If you think you may have a permanent work disability, contact your local worker's compensation office as soon as possible as these benefits are rather complex and may take a while to process.
Back to TopSoft Tissue Over 50% of all accident related injuries, including automobile, involve soft tissue injuries. Soft tissue injury generally refers to muscles ligaments, tendons and Berea. The muscle is the structure that helps the support and move bones. The ligament is a structure that connects bones to bones. The most common soft tissue injuries result in sprains, strains, contusions, tendonitis, bursitis and stress injuries. Tearing is also possible. For more information on soft tissue and muscle damage due to auto accidents consult a personal injury attorney.
Back to TopUnconsciousness Unconsciousness is defined as a state of unawareness or lack of consciousness with a lack of ability to respond. Someone who is unconscious is not sleeping, but rather an unconscious person cannot be made aware of his or her surroundings. They can't respond in anyway. Unconsciousness can be caused by illness, injury or emotional shock. Sometimes the unconsciousness maybe short-term such as when a person faints. If a person receives a blow to the head, the damage to the brain may be severe enough to cause a person to fall into long-term unconsciousness or a coma. Automobile accidents are the leading cause of traumatic brain injury. Whatever the cause of the unconsciousness this condition should not be taken lightly, especially if the unconscious person stops breathing for a period of time. The victim may experience brain damage or injuries that do not appear until sometime in the future. In other words, the injured person may be in worse condition than they think. If unconsciousness occurs as the result of someone else's negligence, the victim has the right to receive damages for losses. These damages may include payment for pain and suffering, medical expenses (both past and future), and lost wages for both past and future. It is extremely important to document everything that can be remembered about the cause of the unconsciousness and to talk with a qualified personal injury attorney.
