A Lake County jury awarded $48 million in damages in the personal injury case of an injured worker (steelworker).
The steel workers were rendered a paraplegic (paralyzed from the neck down) after a fall from a ladder at ISG Burns Harbor (now ArcelorMittal) in November 2004. Serious injuryy or death can easily occur to an injured worker in such situations.
When an injured person suffers such severe personal injuries as paralysis, no one can ever begrudge the damages in the injured worker personal injury cases. $48 million will be needed to provide the home care for him for the rest of his life.
And we cannot forget what he has lost–the ability to walk, to dance, to run, and to live a normal life. He will never be able to take care of himself.
What damages are available to a injured workers?
Here's what you can get as an injured worker:
- The right to file a Workers Comp case and also possibly a "third party" case.
- Two thirds of your wages while off work with a doctor's note.
- All related medical care after the on the job injury paid for.
- A lump sum settlement in Workers Comp when you have recovered.
- A settlement or verdict in the third party negligence case against others on the job site who may have been negligent.
- The right to a lawyer to work out the complexities that happen when you have one accident but both a Workers Comp and a third party negligence case for a breach of safety at work.
- An evaluation for whether you are physically able to do the same job.
- Job retraining to get you ready to do a different job if you cannot do your old one.
- A "wage differential" away, which means that if your new jobs pays less than the old one, you get compensated for that.
- An award of total permant disability, and then, you are paid through your working life and related medical is paid by the insurance.
When you have the most to lose, getting a free consultation from a lawyer is a "MUST".
What I left out in the list above is that you have the right to a good lawyer who calls you back and treats you well. You need a work injury lawyer who knows his or her stuff.
Thank goodness the jury saw fit to help this injured worker in this personal injury case. Congratulations to him and his personal injury lawyers.
