Blog Topic
Recent Updates
June 21, 2010
Death Resulting from Work Injury
June 14, 2010
Tippecanoe County Jail Inmate Receives Incorrect Medical Treatment
June 11, 2010
Bus Accident Leaves One Dead and Several Injured
May 18, 2010
Indiana Medical Malpractice & Wrongful Death ? Rights to My Loved One?s Patient Medical Records
May 07, 2010
Hamilton County Indiana Jail Death
May 03, 2010
One Worker Dead Following Indiana Construction Accident
April 27, 2010
Car Accident Indianapolis Results in Serious Injuries
April 19, 2010
Trucking Accident Northern Indiana
March 29, 2010
Press Release from NTSA
March 24, 2010
Pallet Falls, Kills Kroger Employee
Worker's Compensation
According to US Department of Labor report entitled Workplace Injuries and Illnesses in 2004, there are 4.3 million workplace injuries and illnesses reported in private industry which is approximately 4.8 cases per 100 full-time workers per year. In Indiana, if you sustain a work-related accident, your employer, through their worker's compensation insurance company, directs all of your medical care. Therefore, it is extremely important that you report any accident or injury in the workplace to your employer immediately. Failure to report an injury in a timely manner may result in your worker's compensation claim being denied. Once you have reported your injury, your employer should instruct you where to go for medical treatment. If your injury prevents you from returning to work and you are off of work for more then 7 days, you are entitled to receive disability benefits at the rate of 2/3 of your Average Weekly Wage (AWW). Your employer must provide medical treatment until you reach Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI). At that time you will be released from doctor's care and your disability benefits will terminate. If your injury has any lasting effects, the treating physician may assign permanent work restrictions and a Permanent Partial Impairment (PPI) rating. This impairment rating directly affects the amount of money that you will receive for settlement of your worker's compensation claim. For more information including how to obtain more medical treatment or challenge the work comp doctor's impairment rating, call or email the attorneys at Wagner Reese & Crossen.
Worker Drowns in Construction Accident
Posted by: Steve Wagner
January 29, 2009
Stephen Walls, 51, Hartford City, drowned in downtown Wabash, Indiana, in a construction-ditch accident. Walls was an employee of Environmental Contractors, Inc., of Yorktown, Indiana. However, Environmental Contractors had been subcontracted by Indiana American Water Co. to work on this site at Carroll and West Streets. This unfortunate accident occurred just southwest of the new YMCA construction site.
Two holes had been dug in order to insert a concrete slab to cut off water flow to one of the holes. While Walls was in a hole near the street, he cut out a piece of piping. When he reached down between the piping, the water pressure from the other hole shoved the pipe against his arm, trapping him in the hole. The hole quickly filled with water resulting in Walls drowning.
Dozens of Indiana workers die in construction accidents each year. While some of these deaths can be classified as true accidents, most construction accidents are actually preventable and are due to the negligence of a contractor or general contractor. Under Indiana law, general contractors are charged with a non-delegable duty to maintain jobsite safety. This includes ensuring that contractors and sub-contractors follow state and federal safety rules promulgated by OSHA and enforced by the state agency-IOSHA.
