Sustaining a work-related bone injury can be scary. You may be concerned about your medical bills and lost wages. Thankfully, a Virginia workers’ comp lawyer is available to help you understand your legal rights and file a workers’ compensation claim after suffering a bone fracture.
If you sustain any kind of bone fracture while carrying out your job duties, you may seek compensation for your losses by filing a workers’ comp claim. Workers’ compensation in Virginia can offer you medical bill payments, wage replacement benefits, and vocational rehabilitation services. To ensure the validity of your claim, you need to show that your injury happened due to and while doing your work, the injury resulted from a workplace accident, repetitive motion, or trauma, and that it requires medical treatment.
Your attorney can help you seek maximum compensation after a broken wrist, legs, arms, or other body parts on the job. They understand how such traumatic injuries can affect you physically, emotionally, and financially, so they will work to get the full compensation you need.
How Broken Bones Can Happen in Workplaces
A lot of kinds of on-the-job accidents can lead to painful bone fractures that may require surgery, therapy, extended time off work, and casts. These work-related fractures can occur due to the following:
- Slip and fall accidents. Uneven surfaces, wet floors, and tripping hazards usually result in broken arms, wrists, legs, and hips.
- Lifting injuries. Trying to lift heavy objects and lifting objects using improper techniques can lead to broken feet and back fractures.
- Crush accidents. Falling items, machinery, and motor vehicle accidents can crush body parts such as feet and hands.
Nurses, construction workers, machine operators, and warehouse employees sustain more workplace fractures that require workers’ compensation claims. But workers in different industries can sustain broken bones on the job when there are safety hazards.
Do You Need a Lawyer for Your Work-Related Fracture?
Although you can file a compensation claim by yourself after sustaining a work injury, hiring an attorney is highly recommended. An attorney can provide you with better negotiating power. Having them on your side can make the workers’ comp process smoother and eliminate the stress you may experience, letting you concentrate on healing.
An experienced worker’s comp attorney can investigate how the workplace accident happened. They can collect medical evidence to confirm that the fracture happened because of work duties. Also, they can calculate the value of your damages including medical expenses, disability benefits, and wage loss. Your attorney can negotiate with the insurance company to get the benefits you need as quickly as possible. Should your claim be denied, your attorney can appeal the denial. If the insurer refuses to make a reasonable settlement, your attorney can take your case to court.
How to Prove Your Claim
When pursuing a workers’ compensation claim, you must prove that the fracture happened because of your job duties and it requires medical treatment. To prove your claim, your attorney will:
- Document how the injury happened. Make an incident report that documents when, where, and how the fracture happened. Also, statements from witnesses can help prove the circumstances of the accident. If your employer doesn’t complete an incident report, your lawyer can send a spoliation letter that demands a case investigation and the preservation of evidence obtained from the accident scene.
- Collect medical records. Records from your orthopedic surgeon or emergency room records must state the kind of fracture sustained and recommended treatment. Your doctors should confirm that the broken bones resulted from the workplace accident in their notes.
- Get supportive medical opinions. Sometimes, another doctor may be required to carry out an independent medical examination to reinforce the job-related nature of your fracture if the insurance company raises this question.
