Recovering
$ MILLIONS
For Injured Workers
Advocating for Victims of Work-Related Head & Brain Injuries
There are any number of ways you can be injured at work. Workplace head injuries and traumatic brain injuries are among the worst. If you have an accident while carrying out your job duties, you could suffer a traumatic brain injury or other head injury resulting in medical care, medical bills, lost wages, future medical care, and ongoing medical expenses. These expenses can range from immediate medical attention to longer-term physical therapy. Yes, it sounds like a lot and can certainly be overwhelming. Hopefully, this article can help.
After seeking medical attention for your workplace accident, the next crucial step is consulting with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. There is no harm to a free consultation to learn about your rights including workers’ comp, disability benefits, and other head injury claims.
Delaying medical treatment can always be catastrophic. Delaying legal advice for traumatic brain injury claims can be costly as well. You have rights. Engage an attorney to protect your rights because your employer’s insurance company certainly will not.
GET A FREE CONSULTATION WITH LARRY PITT
Philadelphia Workers’ Compensation Lawyers at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. Represent Those Affected by a Work-Related Brain Injury
If you are an injured worker and you have suffered a work-related brain or head injury, contact an experienced Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyer to ensure your rights are protected and your best interests are represented. At Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. we can help you get the compensation you need to recover from your workplace injury. For a free consultation, call us at 888-PITT-LAW or complete our online contact form.
What Causes Traumatic Brain Injury?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is typically the result of blunt force trauma to the head. This type of injury disrupts the normal functioning of the brain and ranges in severity from mild concussions to life-threatening conditions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 155 people in the U.S. die every day due to head injuries, including TBI. This is why occupational safety is so critical as is understanding your rights to file a workers’ compensation claim.
Workers’ comp cases involving concussions, head injuries, and TBI may be more complex and difficult to prove than those involving visible physical injuries. The injury could be a mild head injury or severe traumatic brain injury. Your emergency room doctor and treating physician will review how the injury happened and if it’s work-related. However, they are not the ones who are going to assist you with wage loss benefits or workers’ comp.
The skilled team of workers’ compensation lawyers at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. have over 40 years of experience representing victims of all types of workplace injuries, including traumatic brain injury. If you sustained a head injury at work, we can help you obtain the workers’ comp you deserve.
Symptoms of TBI
Workers may suffer a TBI from various workplace incidents including slips, trips and falls, falling objects, being struck by falling objects, motor vehicle accidents, and violent attacks. Injured employees include construction workers, agriculture, forestry, and transportation workers, emergency medical services, and fishing industries are at higher risk of sustaining a head injury at work.
Symptoms vary according to the type of brain injury and level of severity, but may include:
- Anxiety
- Confusion
- Depression
- Difficulty concentrating
- Headaches
- Light and sound sensitivity
- Memory loss
- Memory problems
- Mood swings
- Nausea
- Personality changes
- Speech impairments
What Types of TBI Claims Do You Handle?
Our experienced attorneys handle all types of workers’ compensation claims for traumatic brain injuries at work. These would include a traumatic brain injury case including:
- Anoxic Brain Injuries: This brain injury occurs when the brain is deprived of oxygen. Unlike the other forms of TBI, anoxic brain injuries are not usually caused by a blow to the head. It can cause brain cell death, blood clots, heart problems, and various other serious health conditions.
- Cerebral Contusions: This type of brain injury accounts for approximately 20 to 30 percent of TBIs. Cerebral contusions cause the brain tissue to become bruised and swollen, often causing blood vessels to break and leak blood into the tissue. It can lead to decreased mental functioning or brain herniation, which may cause life-threatening spikes in intracranial pressure.
- Concussions: A concussion is a mild brain injury caused by blunt force trauma or violent shaking that can result in confusion, amnesia, headache, nausea, and slurred speech. Sometimes a workplace concussion is mild, and patients can expect a full recovery within 24 hours. However, in severe cases, patients may suffer from post-concussion syndrome which can cause memory, mood, attention, and sleep problems for months, years, or even a lifetime.
- Penetrating Head Injuries: This severe brain injury occurs when the outer layer of the meninges is penetrated by a foreign object or bone fragments from a skull fracture. This type of TBI often causes permanent disability or death. Penetrating head injuries have a very high mortality rate.
How Do I Obtain Workers’ Compensation Benefits for TBI?
Symptoms of TBI or concussion symptoms are not always immediately apparent and may take some time to surface. The extent of the damage is often not clear until days or weeks after the accident and is only determined through special tests or exams by your medical providers. Because of this, and the typically high cost of long-term medical treatment, employers usually fight head injury claims and attempt to deny, reduce or terminate workers’ compensation benefits.
However, under the Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act, you are entitled to medical, wage loss, vocational rehabilitation, and death benefits for your work-related traumatic brain injury. The experienced workers’ compensation lawyers at Larry Pitt & Associates, P.C. can help you appeal your denied workers’ compensation claim, so you can get the benefits to which you are entitled.
Workers’ Compensation vs. Group Benefits
Your employer may advise you to apply for group disability insurance benefits. However, this is often not in your best interest. Workers’ compensation benefits are preferable for those who suffered traumatic brain injuries. Unlike group benefits, workers’ compensation benefits are not subject to income tax and are not limited in terms of medical payments. They are also generally paid for a longer period of time and in higher amounts than group benefits.
This is why you want your workers’ compensation case reviewed with a workers’ compensation attorney with whom you have a privileged attorney-client relationship. With your lawyer, you can review your workplace head injuries, medical costs, lost wages, medical records, and your workers’ comp claim.
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