Crush Injury at Work Lawyer in Greensboro
Crush injuries are among the most catastrophic on-the-job injuries, often requiring extensive and costly medical care and leaving accident victims with disabilities and impairments that can affect their lives for decades to come.
If you’ve suffered a work-related crush injury, Ward Black Law is ready to fight for your rights and demand maximum compensation for what you’ve suffered. Our legal team has established such a record of success over our 30 years of practice that US News and World Report has named us as one of the Best Law Firms in America for over a decade. Now, let our caring attorneys and staff tirelessly support you throughout your legal case and recovery.
Contact Ward Black Law for an initial case evaluation with a crush injury at work lawyer in Greensboro, NC, and let’s discuss your options today. Claim reviews are free, and our law firm won’t charge a fee unless we win your case.
What Is a Crush Injury?
A crush injury occurs when a person gets caught, squeezed, or pinched between two or more objects or surfaces. Crush injuries may involve getting caught between a piece of equipment like a forklift and a wall, squeezed between two vehicles, or entangled in a piece of machinery, for example.
The crushing action can cause severe injuries to the affected body part. Crush injuries can inflict severe trauma to muscles, bones, nerves, and blood vessels, potentially leading to broken bones or torn ligaments, tendons, and muscles, as well as long-term pain and impairment.
Which Workers Are Most Likely to Suffer a Crush Injury?
Workers in industries that use heavy machinery, equipment, or materials have the highest risk of suffering crush injuries. Jobs and industries where crush injuries most frequently occur include:
- Construction workers
- Factory workers
- Warehouse workers
- Miners
- Loggers
- Agricultural workers
- Landscapers
- Firefighters
- EMTs
- Healthcare workers
- Truck drivers
- Delivery drivers
Common Ways Crush Injuries Happen at Greensboro Workplaces
Here are some common examples of crush accidents that can happen at work in Greensboro:
- Getting caught between a semi-truck and a loading dock wall
- Getting crushed by falling objects or materials
- Getting pinned between a forklift and a wall or another object
- Tipping over of heavy equipment or machinery
- Trench cave-in
- Getting caught in heavy equipment
Complications from Crushing Injuries and Treatments
Depending on the severity of the injury, crush injuries can lead to dangerous complications such as:
- Crush syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition caused by the breakdown of muscles due to damage caused by a crush injury
- Compartment syndrome, a condition caused by increased pressure inside the muscle due to swelling that can restrict blood flow and damage muscles and nerves
Complications from crush injuries can result in long-term damage or even require amputation of the affected body part.
Are Crush Injuries Covered by Workers’ Compensation in North Carolina?
If you suffered a crush injury while on the job, you may have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim. North Carolina workers’ compensation is a no-fault insurance system, meaning you do not have to prove that someone else caused your injuries to receive the following benefits:
- Medical benefits, which cover the cost of all reasonable and necessary medical treatment and rehabilitation, including hospitalization, surgeries, medications, physical therapy, occupational therapy, medical equipment, and orthopedic equipment
- Partial wage-replacement benefits, which pay two-thirds of a worker’s average weekly wage for time the worker misses from their job
- Permanent disability benefits, which provide financial payments to workers who suffer loss of a body part or loss of use of a body part
- Mileage benefits, which provide reimbursement of travel costs for workers who travel 20 or more miles round trip for medical treatment
In exchange for receiving no-fault workers’ compensation benefits, injured workers give up their right to file a personal injury claim against their employer and must seek financial recovery from the employer through workers’ comp, except in very limited circumstances.
Potential Third-Party Claims for Crush Injuries at Work
Although injured workers typically cannot file personal injury claims against their employer for a work-related crush injury, injured workers can pursue such claims against non-employer third parties responsible for causing their injuries. For example, a worker who suffers a crush injury caused by a negligent truck driver not employed by the same company may have the right to pursue a personal injury claim against the driver and the driver’s employer.
A third-party injury claim can provide workers with financial compensation not offered by workers’ compensation, such as:
- Additional out-of-pocket medical expenses
- Long-term disability care, such as home health services, housekeeping and childcare assistance, and home renovations to install disability accommodations
- The total value of lost income from time missed at work
- Loss of earning capacity after becoming temporarily or permanently disabled
- Physical pain and emotional suffering
- Loss of quality of life because of disabilities or visible disfigurement
Why You Need Our Workplace Crush Injury Attorneys
If you’ve suffered a devastating crush injury at work, you deserve to focus your time and energy on your physical and emotional recovery. Let the job-related crush injuries lawyers at Ward Black Law pursue the financial benefits and relief you deserve by:
- Investigating the accident that injured you to recover useful evidence
- Evaluating your options for compensation, such as your eligibility to pursue workers’ compensation benefits and third-party injury claims
- Documenting your injuries and ongoing expenses to ensure we pursue maximum financial recovery for your current and future needs
- Filing your claims and handling communications and negotiations with insurance adjusters and defense lawyers
- Vigorously pursuing the financial relief you need and deserve, even if that means taking your case to a formal workers’ compensation hearing or court trial
The sooner you get in touch with us, the sooner we can start doing all this on your behalf at no upfront cost to you. Contact Ward Black Law today for a no-obligation case review with a workplace accident lawyer in Greensboro, NC, and let’s discuss your case for free.
Contact a Greensboro Workplace Crush Injury Lawyer
If you have sustained a serious crush injury at work, contact the Greensboro workers’ compensation attorneys and workplace injury lawyers at Ward Black Law, for a free case review. Our experienced attorneys will focus on your case, leaving you free to focus on your recovery. Call today to speak to one of our qualified workplace injury lawyers: 336-333-2244 or toll-free: 336-502-6208.