Amputation Injuries On The Job In South Florida

Amputation injuries are among the most devastating types of workplace injuries that can happen because they often result in permanent disabilities. If you recently suffered an amputation injury at work, you should begin working on obtaining workers’ compensation benefits as soon as possible. You may be eligible to obtain payment for a portion of your lost wages, coverage for your medical care, and disability payments for the loss of a body part. What do you need to know about amputation injuries and seeking workers’ compensation benefits? Our Pompano Beach workers’ compensation attorneys can provide you with additional information, and we can assist you with your workers’ compensation claim.

What is an Amputation Injury? 

What is an amputation injury? According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, amputation is a term that refers to “the loss or removal of a body part such as a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm, or leg.” Given that an injury that results in a traumatic amputation involves the permanent loss of a body part, Johns Hopkins emphasizes that this type of injury “can be a life-changing experience affecting your ability to move, work, interact with others, and maintain your independence.” In addition, amputations commonly involve “continuing pain, phantom limb phenomena, and emotional trauma,” which often “complicate recovery.”

Amputations can be surgical and can be necessary as a result of a disease, an infection, or excessive tissue damage. They can also be traumatic and can occur in an accident. Workplace amputations can be traumatic amputations (such as those where a person’s finger is amputated by a defective machine in the workplace) or surgical (such as those where a serious accident has caused such significant tissue damage that an amputation is necessary.”

Workers’ Compensation Coverage for an Amputation Injury 

When an accident at work results in an amputation, it is critical to begin the process of seeking workers’ compensation coverage. In addition to receiving payment for lost wages due to the inability to work and health care coverage, a worker who has sustained an amputation injury can also be eligible for permanent impairment benefits under Florida workers’ compensation law.

Permanent impairment benefits involve a determination of the percentage of the worker’s disability, and each specific type of amputation injury comes with a specific amount of money based on the body part and the impairment rating. Our firm can help you to understand how your specific injury is likely to correspond with an impairment rating and impairment benefits.

Contact a Pompano Beach Workers’ Compensation Attorney 

If you sustained an amputation injury on the job, it is essential to get in touch with one of the experienced Pompano Beach workers’ compensation lawyers at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. for assistance. We can help you to seek the workers’ compensation benefits you need, and we can assist you in the event that you have experienced a denial of benefits. Our goal is to do everything we can to ensure that you receive payments for lost wages and coverage for your medical care in addition to disability benefits through the Florida workers’ compensation system. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our firm to find out more about how we can help you.

Sources:

hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/amputation

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0440/Sections/0440.15.html