Loss of Limb & California Workers’ Compensation
Seasoned California Workers’ Compensation Attorney Helping Workers Get Benefits After An Amputation Injury In Orange County Or The Inland Empire
Losing a limb is likely to be a life-changing experience. Amputees typically require significant, ongoing medical treatment, prosthetic limbs, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Performing everyday tasks may become complicated or require assistance, and you may be unable to perform your current job. If your limb was amputated due to a workplace injury, you are entitled to compensation under your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance policy. The California workers’ compensation lawyers at Invictus Law will help you get the benefits you are owed after a workplace amputation injury.
How Do Amputation Injuries Happen?
Amputation injury can occur due to a variety of accidents and maladies. A victim may lose a limb in a traumatic accident, a limb may be burned or crushed so badly as to require amputation while obtaining medical care, or a limb may be lost due to a debilitating disease such as diabetes or cancer.
The California workers’ comp attorneys at Invictus Law will help you recover workers’ compensation after any work-related incident. Some of the most common causes of loss of limb include:
- Limb caught in heavy machinery
- Exposure to caustic chemicals
- Fires and explosions
- Car accident
- Exposure to electricity or extreme heat
- Defective tools or equipment
- Truck accident
- Industrial equipment accident
- Scaffold collapse
- Forklift accident
- Elevator collapse
- Failure to properly treat an injury or illness
- Ladder accident
- Crushed by a falling object
Whatever the nature of your accident, if it happened while on the job or a job-related task, then you are entitled to workers’ comp coverage. Even if you were responsible for the accident, with limited exceptions, you are guaranteed workers’ comp benefits in California. The workplace injury lawyers at Invictus Law will help you file your claim and obtain the maximum benefits available after your amputation accident.
Complete Vs. Partial Amputation
Amputation injury refers to the loss of a body part. The body part may be an arm or a leg, but amputation injury also includes loss of a finger, toe, hand, foot, or another body part. Amputation injury can be complete or partial, although “partial” does not necessarily mean “better.”
A “complete” amputation refers to a situation in which a limb is completely severed from the body, such as if a victim loses their finger in a buzzsaw accident. An amputation may be “partial” if some of the soft tissue from the limb remains attached to the body after the accident. In some circumstances, a complete amputation is actually better; reattaching a finger, for example, may be easier if there is a “clean” cut that completely severs the finger and can be reattached. A partial amputation may leave behind mangled tissue and nerves that complicate reattachment and require surgical removal anyway in order to protect the health of the patient.
Regardless of whether an amputation injury was partial or complete, an accident victim is still guaranteed workers’ compensation coverage. A partial amputation can be just as painful and just as debilitating. Talk to a seasoned workers’ comp attorney about your injury to learn your options for treatment and compensation.
Workers’ Comp Benefits After Limb Amputation
California, like other states, has a “schedule of benefits” that calculates the maximum compensation available after a workplace injury depending on the specific body part injured. California workers can collect a certain maximum portion of their wages for a specified number of weeks based on the body part injured.
The benefits available are also adjusted based on the nature of the employee and the nature of their work. Older workers and those in more labor-intensive professions (such as construction) are likely to receive additional benefits, while younger workers and those in less impactful jobs may be eligible for less. Workers who suffer a complete amputation, such as permanent loss of a hand, arm, or leg, might be eligible for lifetime benefits.
The calculations and eligible benefits for each injured worker depend on the specifics of the worker. A seasoned amputation injury workers’ comp attorney at Invictus Law can walk you through your potential benefits based on your injury and your job and will help you obtain the maximum benefits possible.
Get Help With Loss Of Limb Claims In Orange County And Inland Empire From A Dedicated California Workers’ Compensation Attorney
For help getting the care and compensation you need after suffering an amputation injury at work in Orange County or the Inland Empire, call Invictus Law, P.C. in Orange or Ontario at 949-287-5711 or 888-9-WORKLAW for a free consultation with an experienced and passionate California workers’ compensation lawyer.
