Torn Acl Knee Injuries
Your ACL is a crucial knee ligament that enables your knee to move back and forth. Damage to the ACL can happen when there is a severe impact to the knee. It can also happen as a result of repetitive stress or certain types of continuous movement.
If you suffer an ACL injury as a result of a workplace accident, chances are that you will not be able to walk properly. You may not even be able to put weight on the affected leg.
Surgery for ACL injuries has advanced considerably, with arthroscopic surgery available for less serious cases. Open surgery is still used in some cases, though, and it can cost as much as $50,000.
Example: Torn ACL from Construction Accident
Madge is a construction worker in northern California where she earns the average weekly wage of $680, or $17 per hour. As part of her job moving lumber and other building supplies, she and her co-workers often use forklifts. One day, while Madge was at a work site, her co-worker lost control of a forklift and drove it into Madges left leg.
Madge was rushed to the emergency room. Tests showed that Madge suffered not only a fracture, but a torn ACL. Due to the speed and force of the impact on her knee, Madge will need open ACL surgery. She will not be able to walk or do her job for at least 6 months.
Past medical bills: $5,000
Lost wages benefit: $7,289.60
Surgery: $50,000
Physical therapy: $14,400
Estimated workers comp settlement value: $76,690
Symptoms Of A Knee Injury
Knees are necessary for any work task that involves sitting, walking, lifting and mobility, so injuries to this part of the body can mean a significant loss of income. Treatment can require expensive surgery, as well as rehabilitation. Seeking workers compensation benefits is essential to ensure you have coverage for these services.;
Common symptoms of a knee injury are:
- Persistent pain
How Much Money You Will Receive For A Personal Injury Strongly Depends Upon Many Factors
Are you seeking help with workplace injury compensation or injury at work compensation?
The compensation payout received is relative to the impact an injury has on you. There is no one chart or payment that fits all injuries, and firms that state that are not giving you the truth.
The specific factors that are considered are:
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Your own personal circumstances such as your age, your injuries, and your employment
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The circumstances in which your accident took place in Queensland
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Most importantly, your lawyers knowledge and experience, and many more aspects
Weve answered more of your questions below, but youre welcome to contact us for free at anytime to discuss.
It costs nothing to assess your claim for compensation if car accident injury or workplace related, and its wise to know your legal options quickly as time limits are a key factor, so get in touch or read/watch more below.
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Muscles That Strengthen The Knee
Several muscles support the knee joint . These muscles include the:
- Hamstrings :;The hamstring muscles run down the back of your thigh and help you move your leg back and bend your knee.;
- Quadriceps :;The quadricep muscles are large and strong muscles located at the front of your thigh. They help you move, stand, walk, run, and squat.;
- Calf muscles :;The calf muscles pull the heel up to help you walk.;
Is There Anything Else That Could Affect My Compensation Calculation
Most injury claims do not go to court. Compensation is usually agreed as part of a negotiation between your solicitor and the defendants lawyers or insurance company.
The defendants solicitors will use tactics to attempt to reduce the compensation amount, such as making a ‘low-ball’ early offer.
Your solicitor may request more time to negotiate or to gather more evidence. More time may also mean that the extent of your symptoms becomes clearer, so a more accurate compensation calculation can be made.
Personal injury compensation levels will rarely exceed the figures set out in the general damages tables, so the negotiation process can be crucial. This is particularly true if you need the compensation award to fund care costs, or to pay for treatment or necessary adaptations to your home.
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Struck By A Moving Object At Work
Being struck by a moving object could cause injuries to any part of the body. Such accidents at work could be caused by an object falling on you or a moving object crashing into you. Looking at one industry the food and drink industry, we can see that around 10% of major injuries which have been reported to the HSE were caused in this way. In total this accounted for 700 such instances per year in total, 100 of which are major or serious injuries.
Breaking down this type of accident or injury, one third are caused by an object falling onto the person. This could be something falling from overhead storage onto a person. Twenty-five percent are caused by hand tools and others are caused by people being struck by moving pallets or vehicles.
How Accurate Are Online Claims Calculators
Compensation calculators take into account the nature and severity of your injury. Calculators then refer to the Official Guidelines to give an upper and lower estimate of the likely compensation award you could receive.
Online compensation calculators have been available on personal injury solicitors websites for a number of years. However, many of these rely on out-of-date data and do not consider recent changes to the law.
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Talk With A Workers Compensation Attorney
If you hurt your knee on the job, you should take the time to talk with a workers compensation attorney. A workers compensation attorney can answer any questions that you have about your rights under the law.
You will be able to find out if youre being treated fairly by your employer. If not, a workers compensation attorney may be able to assist you in getting everything that you deserve for your knee injury.
Average Workers Comp Knee Injury Settlements And Benefits
; Knee injuries are among the most common and most debilitating injuries in the workplace.
Workplace knee injuries account for roughly 150,000 of annual workplace injuries nationwide according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Thats more than 13% of all injuries. Data from the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry also demonstrates that knee injuries were responsible for 8.2% of all Pennsylvania workplace injuries in 2018, impacting 14,216 workers.
Employees who have suffered a workplace knee injury should consider their eligibility for workers compensation benefits. When doing so, it is very important to understand the specific;types of injuries;that qualify for workers compensation benefits, the process for filing a workers compensation claim, the amount of compensation to expect based on the severity of the injury, and the role an attorney can play in the claims process.
If youve injured your knee at work, dont wait. You only have 120 days from the date of your injury to report it, and 3 years from that date to file a workers comp claim. If youd like to file for workers compensation, consult one of our attorneys today and we can guide you through each step of your workers compensation case.
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Workers Compensation Lawyer For Knee Injury Claims
After a workplace knee injury, it is very important to work with a qualified and experienced workers compensation attorney to guarantee your workers compensation eligibility, to ensure your claim is filed correctly and to maximize your compensation benefits.
If you have questions about filing for workers comp, settlement offers, or anything else pertaining to your claim,;the workers comp lawyers at Krasno, Krasno, & Onwudinjo are here to assist you in all aspects of your;knee injury;case. To schedule a free consultation,;contact our law firm today;via email or call us at 243-4849 or toll-free at 877-794-2396.
Examples Of Knee Injury Verdicts And Settlements
Below are several examples of verdicts and settlements in cases involving knee injuries, mostly stemming from car accidents and slip and fall incidents. These are provided to help illustrate the large range of possible settlement/verdict amounts, and should not be relied upon to estimate the precise value of a particular type of knee injury.
- $2,673,000 total damages, with $1,400,000 of that for pain and suffering, for a plaintiff who slipped on grease, tore his meniscus, was unable to perform his job, experienced years of pain, required several surgeries, and would require knee replacement surgery in the future.
- $240,000 settlement for boy who was hit while riding his bike, and required an initial knee surgery and then several follow-up procedures after re-injuring himself playing sports.
- $177,000 verdict for 70-year-old who slipped and fell at a store and required two surgeries and a total knee replacement.
- $120,000 verdict for a plaintiff who slipped on ice and fractured her knee, but was found 40% at fault for the accident.
- $105,000 arbitration verdict against plaintiff’s insurance company after uninsured driver rear-ended plaintiff and caused knee injury requiring surgery.
- $24,000 verdict for rear-ended driver whose knee hit steering wheel and sustained meniscus tear possibly requiring future surgery.
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How Do You Obtain A Workers Comp Knee Injury Settlement
So, how do you obtain a workers comp knee injury settlement? In order to seek a settlement, you will need to:
- Report your knee injury to your employer. All 50 states have strict deadlines for reporting job-related injuries. If you wait too long , you could lose your right to benefits.
- Obtain medical treatment for your knee injury. You will need to obtain treatment, and you will need to have a clear understanding of your future medical needs. Note that you may be required to see an approved physician depending on where you live.
- Hire a lawyer to represent you. You will need a lawyer to calculate your total benefits and negotiate for a settlement on your behalf. Depending on your personal circumstances, your lawyer can either seek a one-time settlement or a settlement that provides installment payments .
Medical Treatment For Knee Injuries
Aside from emergency care for a sudden injury, you will be seen and treated by a doctor approved by the workers comp insurance company.
The primary physician evaluates your medical condition and the type of injury you sustained. After an initial diagnosis, the doctor may refer you to a specialist, such as an orthopedic surgeon, for injury-specific treatment.
Most workplace knee injuries are strains or sprains to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments. More serious injuries can include torn cartilage and fractures. In severe cases of torn ligaments or fractures, surgery may be necessary, but it should always be a last resort.
Non-surgical treatments include:
- Resting, and keeping weight off the knee
- Elevating the area of the injury to reduce swelling
- Alternating ice and heat to reduce bruising and pain
- Compression dressings to restrict unnecessary movement
- Whirlpool treatment
- Medications to reduce pain and inflammation
No one likes to be injured, and most people want to get back to work as soon as possible. Surviving on partial wages can be stressful. Dont rush it. Returning to work before youre ready can delay your recovery.
Follow your doctors instructions for treatment and physical therapy. Failing to follow your doctors orders or missing therapy appointments can give the insurance company an excuse to cut your benefits.
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What Procedure Should I Follow If I Suffer A Knee Injury At Work
Your employer should have a specific procedure in place which employees should follow if they are injured in an accident at work. The first thing you must do is seek medical attention whether you can be initially treated by a works designated first aid officer before going to hospital or you need to go directly to the Accident and Emergency department straight away because your knee injury is extremely severe.
Other steps that must be taken following an accident in the workplace are as follows:
- That the workplace accident and your injuries were reported to your employer or to the person who is in charge of the workplace. If you were unable to do this, a trusted work colleague can do this for you. You have the right to check that the information detailing the incident and your injuries have been correctly recorded in an Accident Book if there is one in the workplace
- If there is no Accident Book in the workplace, you have two options which is to send your employer a persona email detailing the workplace accident and the extent of your knee injury or you can send your employer a registered letter keeping a copy of the letter for your records
- Gather witness statements and their contact details
- Get photos of where the workplace accident occurred
- Get photos of your knee injury
- Check to see if any similar workplace accidents have occurred this information would be recorded in the Accident Book
The Value Of A Knee Injury Case In Workers Compensation
You hurt your knee at work. ;Now you want to know the value of your knee injury workers comp case. ;Well, Im a lawyer. ;And unfortunately, you have to get a lawyer answer. ;It depends.
Knee injuries can range from a minor knee contusion or sprain to a completely shattered knee cap. ;Common bad knee injuries are torn ACL or MCLs or fractured or dislocated knees. ;It might go without saying generally speaking, the worse an injury is, the more the compensation.
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How To Begin A Knee Injury Claim
A lot of people dont make knee injury claims, even if they have grounds to, as they dont know where to start. If you are feeling a little bit overwhelmed by the whole process, dont worry. All you need to do is give us a call and we will be with you every step of the way, guiding you through each part of the claim process.
When you call us, our consultancy session is free of charge, and this will involve us asking you a number of questions. This is simply so we can get to the bottom of what has happened so that we are able to provide you with the very best advice and what knee injury compensation payout you might receive.
If you are happy to proceed, we will work with you on a No Win No Fee basis. You can find more information about this below. However, in short, it means that you are only going to need to pay legal fees if your case is a success, so this eliminates all financial worry. Moreover, if you are yet to visit a doctor, we can also arrange a local medical for you if required.
Knee Injuries In Public Spaces
Injuries in a public place can be caused by a wide variety of different ways and could be caused by the actions of many different parties. In cases of knee injuries in a public space, the location will determine who the defendant will be.
A knee injury on the street or in the park could be made against the council, local authority or managing body responsible for maintenance and safety in that area. If your accident happened in a space such as a shopping centre responsible party could be the store itself, or the owner of the larger shopping mall.
Dont worry if you are not sure who the claim needs to be made against. As long as you can tell us where it happened our team will be able to establish who the knee injury compensation claim should be made against.
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What Is The Biggest Factor In That Drives Settlement Amounts In Knee Injury Claims
The biggest factor that drives knee injury case values is whether there was a surgery. I dont have statistics on this. But our lawyers universally find compensation payouts higher in knee surgery cases.
These improvements have consequences in the legal sphere. A medical experts explanation of the function of the knee joint and the effect the injury will have on the patient is a critical component in how much a jury will award if the case goes to trial.
The expertan unbiased treating doctor, in a perfect worldneeds to take the jury through the x-rays, CAT scans, MRI studies, and the arthroscopic examination of the surfaces of the involved bones.
This is significantly easier in knee fracture or dislocation cases. Instead, many serious knee injuries are soft tissue injuries involving one or more of the non-bone structures of the knee. In car accidents, these injuries often occur when trauma to the thigh or shin bone is accompanied by an opposite force directed against the foot, resulting in torque that is violently transmitted to the knee.
You need a qualified expert to explain why a soft tissue knee injury can be serious a heart attack is also a soft tissue injury and how it is an injury that can haunt a patient for the rest of their lives.
Compensation Calculator How Much Can I Claim
How much compensation can I claim for my injury is one of the most common questions we receive from people interested in making a personal injury claim. Embarking on any legal process can be a difficult decision for many people, so naturally you may want to know if it will all be worthwhile.
Unfortunately, there isnt a simple answer to this question, as the level of compensation your claim is worth will depend on your specific circumstances. There are many compensation calculators available online, but these can only be considered as very loose guides. They do not take into account a number of important factors which can have a significant impact on the actual amount of compensation you receive.
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