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Death Resulting from Work Injury
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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.
Workers Injured after Explosion at ArcelorMittal Steel Mill ? East Chicago
Posted by: Steve Wagner
February 20, 2009
Three workers were injured in an explosion last week at ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor steel mill. Two of the workers are still hospitalized with serious burns and head injuries while the third worker, James Broviak, was treated for minor injuries and released. Tracy Sandoval, Valparaiso, Indiana, was transferred to a Chicago area hospital with a serious head injury. Jeff Schnebel suffered third degree burns and is being treated in the Burn Unit at University of Chicago Medical Center. The explosion was unexpected and occurred in a slag processing unit at No. 7 Blast Furnace. All three injured workers were employees of subcontractors working in the mill - Beemsterboer, Lafarge North America, and H2O. It is unknown for which company each man worked.
Under Indiana worker's compensation law, each injured worker will be entitled to medical care provided by their respective employers, temporary total disability (TTD) payments at 2/3rd of their average weekly wage, and a lump sum permanent partial impairment (PPI) award. Depending on the circumstances of the accident, each worker may also have a liability claim against the company responsible for the explosion. An investigation into the facts and circumstances of the accident should be conducted as soon as possible. At Wagner Reese & Crossen, our law firm can assist injured workers in this situation by not only assisting with the work comp claim, but by investigating potential liability claims as well.
