Workers’ Compensation for Bone Fractures in Florida

How Bone Fractures Happen in Florida Workplaces

Bone fractures are also referred to as broken bones. According to the Cleveland Clinic, they can affect any bone in the body—including arm and hand bones, leg and foot bones, the clavicle, the pelvis, the ribs, and the vertebrae—and are generally the result of physical trauma.

Workplace accidents can lead to broken bones if:

• A delivery truck driver is making their rounds when they are hit by another vehicle. The impact is violent enough to break the driver’s leg.
• An electrician falls from a utility pole and suffers back and hip injuries upon landing.
• A grocery store employee walks down an aisle and slips on a liquid spill. They try to break their fall with their hand, resulting in a broken finger.
• A factory worker drops a piece of heavy equipment on their foot, breaking bones.
• An office worker is ordered to retrieve documents from another level of the building. They fall down the stairs and crack several ribs.

As you can see, the risk of breaking a bone is not limited to a certain kind of worker or a certain kind of industry. The vast majority of Florida workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if they get hurt on the job, even if their industry is typically considered safe.

Risk Factors Associated With Workplace Bone Fracture Injuries

Virtually any worker may suffer a bone fracture under the right conditions, but certain factors may increase your risk of doing so. These can include:

• Age. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, getting older increases your chances of developing health conditions that weaken your bones or balance, which can lead to painful falls and broken bones.
• The kind of work that you do. For example, if you work around large, dangerous machines on a daily basis, you may be at greater risk of sustaining an injury than someone who only uses those machines occasionally or who works in a quiet office. Our Florida heavy machinery lawyers can help you file a workers’ comp claim for any broken bones resulting from machinery usage.
• The availability of protection. Using fall protection while working at heights and receiving training in how to use dangerous tools and equipment can reduce your risk of injury. On the other hand, being denied such protection can make your workplace unnecessarily hazardous.

If you suffered a broken bone in any kind of workplace injury, Rosenberg & Rosenberg wants to help. Call us now for a free consultation. Our attorneys have recovered millions for clients and want to make sure that you get the amount of compensation you need.

Types of Broken Bone Claims We Can Help With

Depending on the circumstances of an accident, broken bones can vary in severity and ease of treatment. Our workers’ compensation attorneys create personalized legal strategies to help injured workers get the benefits they need and deserve.

Our legal team is prepared to help workers who sustained any of the different types of fractures, as defined by Johns Hopkins Medicine:

• Simple fracture: Also called a closed fracture, this injury occurs when the bone breaks or splits but remains in place and does not poke through the skin.
• Compound fracture: The bone breaks and punctures the skin. This is also called an open fracture.
• Compression fracture: The bone is completely crushed.
• Segmental fracture: The bone fractured at two places, so there is a fragment left isolated in between the breaks.
• Complete fracture: The break goes completely through the bone.
• Incomplete fracture: When the bone breaks but remains partially connected, this is referred to as an incomplete or greenstick fracture.
• Transverse fracture: The bone break runs along the width, rather than the length, of the bone.
• Avulsion fracture: The break occurred near a ligament or tendon, which may affect the fragments’ position and how your doctor is able to put them back together.
• Oblique fracture: The bone break runs diagonal to the direction of the bone.
• Spiral fracture: If your bone twists until it breaks, the resulting fracture may spiral all the way around the bone.
• Comminuted fracture: The bone breaks into at least three pieces.

Some of these injuries, like compound and compression fractures, may require costly corrective surgery as part of the treatment process. Even the less severe injuries may require months to heal. Depending on the location of your broken bone, you could be unable to work and fulfill other duties during this time.

A Bone Fracture Could Entitle You to Workers’ Compensation Benefits

After a work-related injury, you could be eligible for:

• Free medical care for all treatment related to the workplace injury until you have reached maximum medical improvement
• A portion of your normal weekly wages until you return to the workplace
• Permanent disability payments, if the bone fracture (or other injuries that occurred in the same incident) will affect your ability to work for the rest of your life
• Reimbursement for the cost of training for a new career, if your injury prevents you from continuing to pursue the old one

These benefits can be invaluable for a worker whose bone fracture requires extensive care and a long recovery period.

How to Get the Workers’ Compensation Benefits You Deserve

Filing a workers’ compensation claim in Florida requires you to take the following steps:

• Get medical care. Medical treatment plays a critical role in workers’ comp claims. You will want to follow all of the instructions from your employer-appointed physician and attend all medical exams so that the insurance company can accurately assess your claim. If you need emergency care from Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, or anywhere else, make sure to tell them your injury is work-related.
• Report the injury to your employer. You only have 30 days to complete this step, so reporting your injuries immediately is essential.
• Report the injury to the insurance company. Your employer is supposed to handle this step, but they do not always do so. Make sure that they report your injury and, if they refuse, make a timely report yourself.
• Collect evidence. You need to prove that you broke your bone while on the job. You also have to show that your bone fracture has had a serious impact on your life. This could require gathering materials like medical records, expert testimony, and witness testimony.

As you can see, the workers’ comp process is very precise and can take up all of your attention. Instead of going it alone, let the workers’ comp attorneys at Rosenberg & Rosenberg take care of it all.

Getting Workers’ Comp Benefits for a Bone Fracture Is Not Always Easy

The insurance company may resist your claim in any number of ways, including trying to end your benefits early or even issuing a denial. Our workers’ compensation law firm in Florida can make it easier for you to deal with them by:

• Giving you the chance to rest while we manage your case
• Answering any questions you have about your right to benefits and the workers’ compensation process
• Communicating with the insurance company on your behalf
• In the event of a denial, filing a petition for benefits as required by Florida Statutes § 440.192

Bone fractures are very painful and emotionally stressful injuries. Give yourself the chance to recover in peace by having our Florida workplace injury attorneys protect your rights and fight for your benefits.

Call Our Florida Workplace Broken Bone Lawyers Today

By filing a workers’ compensation claim, you can request help with medical bills and missed wages related to any on-the-job accident. This option is open to you regardless of who was at fault, and we urge you to take advantage of it. In some situations, you might also be able to file a third-party personal injury claim. Our attorneys can explain your options after learning the details of your case.

Above all, we want to make sure you can receive workers’ compensation for bone fractures in Florida. We know filing a claim adds another demand to your life at a time when you would like less to worry about—and our attorneys are here to take on this work for you. Call Rosenberg & Rosenberg to find out more today.