Even if you wear appropriate safety equipment and follow all safety rules, a single reckless act by a coworker or malfunction in important equipment could lead to you sustaining brain damage from a blow to the head or neck. As a skilled workplace catastrophic injury attorney could explain, even minor concussions can have long-lasting effects and require weeks or even months of specialized treatment to recover from, and more severe brain trauma often results in permanent losses of sensory, motor, and cognitive function.
Put simply, brain damage is one of the worst outcomes that a workplace accident can have, and getting fair benefits from a workers’ compensation claim built around such an injury can be uniquely challenging for that reason. Fortunately, you have help available from an expert Downey brain injury lawyer who could help you efficiently navigate the workers’ comp claims process.
Most of the time, work-related brain injuries stem either from an unexpected slip and fall, which results in a worker’s head or neck striking an unforgiving surface, or an impact on a worker’s head or neck from a falling heavy object. In some situations, motor vehicle collisions involving employer-owned vehicles driven by employees performing job-related tasks with the cars can also serve as valid grounds for a workers’ comp claim if they are the direct and primary cause of significant brain damage.
Brain injuries do not always produce obvious symptoms right away, and it is vital to seek immediate medical attention as soon as possible after sustaining a blow to the head, face, or neck on the job, especially if any of the following symptoms manifest:
A Downey brain injury attorney could help factor all costs for this initial care and all future injury-related medical treatment into an ensuing workers’ compensation claim.
In addition to reimbursement for reasonably necessary medical expenses, a workers’ comp claim over a work-related brain injury should also provide benefits for a substantial portion of wage loss caused by the injury. Temporary disability benefits are designed for short-term injuries that only keep someone out of work for a few weeks or months at a time. They can be paid out at different values for total disability, which leaves someone entirely unable to work, and partial disability, which leaves someone able to do some but not all their usual job tasks.
If a brain injury has permanent and debilitating consequences, temporary disability benefits can be expanded into permanent disability benefits within 14 days of when a physician determines that an injured worker has reached maximum medical improvement. Once again, the value of these benefits will vary depending on the degree to which a person is partially or totally disabled, as a brain injury lawyer in Downey could explain in more detail during a private consultation.
Brain injuries are extremely serious, even if they will heal completely with time and proper medical care, and they are almost always life-altering in more severe cases. Either way, you have a right to seek benefits through your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance if you can prove you sustained brain trauma directly through a workplace accident or as a result of your working conditions.
A Downey brain injury lawyer could provide irreplaceable guidance and support from start to finish of the workers’ comp claims process. Call today to learn more during a private consultation.
