Any workplace injury can limit your ability to work and lead a normal life, but some injuries are more serious than others. Crush injuries, for example, can destroy a digit or limb and may even cause nerve damage. It is crucial to speak with a dedicated workers’ compensation attorney about your options for pursuing compensation after sustaining such an injury.
The workers’ compensation system is meant to cover workplace injuries regardless of cause, but injured employees may often find their claims denied or played down. A Torrance crush injury lawyer from Silberman & Lam is well-practiced in handling these cases and could help you navigate the state’s workers’ compensation system as you seek the maximum amount of compensation for your claim.
When a part of the body becomes compressed or pinched, it can cause severe damage. For instance, a falling object could pin a worker to the ground or a piece of clothing or a limb could get caught in moving machinery, such as a conveyor belt, causing a catastrophic injury.
Employers should and often do take precautions to prevent crush injuries, but workers’ compensation sometimes focuses less on the industrial cause of an injury to avoid assigning liability to an employer. Our attorneys are familiar with crush injuries in Torrance’s industrial sector and could see that injured workers receive fair treatment and the proper benefits for their injuries.
Certain injuries may not be included, such as those caused by the worker being under the influence of drugs or alcohol, while fighting with another employee, or while intentionally misusing or playing with equipment. Beyond these scenarios, a workplace injury should result in benefits. Medical costs, long-term treatment and rehabilitation, as well as permanent disability and temporary disability are covered under workers’ compensation.
If workers’ compensation is supposed to cover injuries regardless of liability, how can a claim be denied? Injured workers can encounter pushback from employers on the severity of the injury, whether an injury happened at work as opposed to at home or in another location, or the medical care is needed. For crush injuries at an industrial employer, proving where the injury happened should pose less of a problem, but an employer or an insurer might dispute the extent of the injury and try to limit the care covered.
An experienced lawyer could support a worker filing a claim and may rely on the state’s protections for injured workers, contained in the California Labor Code’s provisions for workers’ compensation and insurance. The Labor Code specifies how soon after an injury a worker must file a claim (30 days) and how to calculate compensation as well as how to file an appeal.
A Torrance attorney from Silberman & Lam could collect evidence of the crush injury well in advance of a denied or limited claim by talking to coworkers who witnessed a crush injury, obtaining surveillance footage, and preserving medical records.
The workers’ compensation process can seem overwhelming, filled with paperwork, and an overall difficult process that is standing between you and your benefits. The damage coming from a crush injury requires a legal team capable of a swift response on your behalf, and it is wise to reach out to the attorneys at Silberman & Lam for assistance.
A Torrance crush injury lawyer could handle your claim with efficiency and provide seamless service. An experienced attorney could work with you to file a strong claim and challenge any denial of benefits within the time limits set by statute. Contact the firm today for an initial consultation.
