Head Injuries
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If you struck your head at work, even if it did not feel like a serious injury, prompt medical evaluation is critical. Some head injuries do not present symptoms right away, so you could have a dangerous injury without knowing it.
Report your work-related head injury to your employer and seek medical attention to avoid complications. If you are not sure how to seek workers’ compensation for head injuries in Florida, Rosenberg & Rosenberg’s attorneys are here to help. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our Florida workers’ compensation lawyers.
Head injuries can occur in the workplace when an employee trips, falls, or is struck by an object. Any employee, from construction workers to office staff, can suffer from an unexpected head injury while at work.
Whether you slipped and struck your head on a wall, fell from a ladder, or were struck by a falling tool, any head trauma needs medical treatment. Left untreated, head injuries can cause serious and sometimes life-threatening complications. Common injuries you could suffer in a Florida workplace include:
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) occur when the brain suffers damage due to impact, jolts, or penetration of the head. They may range in severity from mild to serious. Even mild traumatic brain injuries can result in long-term impairment. Symptoms may include:
Severe TBIs can cause mental and cognitive issues that prevent the injured person from functioning normally. In especially severe cases, the victim of a TBI may suffer seizures, coma, and death.
While some such injuries can heal over time, many severe brain injuries are permanent. If your TBI occurred in the course of your occupational duties, our Florida workers’ compensation attorneys could help you recover lost income and medical expenses.
Although the Mayo Clinic classifies concussions as a “mild” form of TBI, they are only mild in the relative sense. In reality, a concussion can cause serious difficulty and impairment throughout the patient’s life. Concussions may result in cognitive and mental impairments that prevent the worker from returning to their previous position.
If you suffered a concussion in the workplace, it is important to complete all associated medical treatment to avoid negative long-term consequences.
The Cleveland Clinic explains that a skull fracture occurs when a skull bone is broken by impact. Some skull fractures are mild and can heal with time, but serious fractures can cause brain bleeding, fluid in the brain, swelling, and infection. A blow hard enough to fracture the skull can also lead to a concussion or traumatic brain injury.
You may suffer a skull fracture at work due to a motor vehicle accident, a fall from a height, or an object falling on your head.
Also called an intracranial hematoma, this type of injury occurs when blood collects in the brain or under the skull following a burst blood vessel or head trauma. Depending on the area affected, you could suffer headaches, sleepiness, trouble speaking, reduced mobility, and paralysis.
A brain hematoma requires prompt emergency care and regular monitoring. Recovery is often slow, and victims may spend months or years reaching maximum medical improvement (MMI). Even with comprehensive care, patients with hematomas may suffer long-term health issues.
If you experienced a hematoma in the brain as a result of an occupational head injury, call Rosenberg & Rosenberg for a free case review. Our family-owned firm wants to help you get the workers’ comp benefits you need.
Penetrating head injuries, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), arise when a sharp object penetrates the skull. Workplace penetrating head injuries can have many causes, including:
Regardless of the cause, any penetrating head injury is an emergency. Seek immediate medical attention and report the accident to your employer. Our workers’ compensation attorneys can help you with reporting, documentation, and filing procedures while you recover from your injury.
In Florida, you must report your injury to your employer within 30 days of the accident. Your employer then has seven days to file a claim with workers’ compensation. The workers’ compensation filing process begins as soon as your injury is reported. Although you have 30 days to report, it is best to begin the process as soon as possible after your injury.
Your employer or workers’ compensation carrier may have a preferred medical provider, but emergency care is covered by workers’ compensation regardless. Once you begin medical treatment, verify that your doctor is an approved care provider for workers’ comp claims. Prompt medical treatment safeguards your health and creates important documentation for your workers’ comp case.
Head injuries may prevent workers from taking timely action on a workers’ comp claim. Rosenberg & Rosenberg can get your claim started while you receive critical medical treatment. Our workers’ comp lawyers can:
Workers’ compensation benefits in Florida are generally available to workers whose employers have more than four employees. Some industries and occupations are exempted from Florida workers’ comp requirements, so check with our attorneys if you are unsure about your eligibility.
If you are eligible to file a workers’ comp claim, you could recover the following benefits for an occupational head injury:
Workers’ compensation pays for medical expenses incurred due to a workplace head injury. Such expenses may range from immediate emergency treatment and ambulance transportation to surgery, hospitalization, critical care, medication, and rehabilitation. Medical costs covered by workers’ comp in Florida will differ depending on your circumstances.
While you are recovering from your head injury, our workers’ compensation lawyers can help you gather medical records, verify diagnostic information, and seek an independent medical review when necessary.
When you suffer a head injury on the job, Florida workers’ compensation lets you recover a portion of your lost income. The amount you can recover is based on a calculation of your average weekly wage, but many factors can affect the amount and timeframe for your income replacement benefits.
Rosenberg & Rosenberg can help you understand what you are entitled to.
Disability payments help you make ends meet while you are recovering from a workplace injury. Since head injuries can be particularly debilitating, recovery may take months or years. In some cases, you may be permanently unable to return to work. Mental health issues from your head injury may also impact your benefits.
There are four types of Florida workers’ compensation benefits for disability, based on the extent of your impairment:
The application process for workers’ comp disability benefits can be harrowing, especially if your head injury prevents you from thinking clearly. Our workers’ comp attorneys in Florida can help you understand your rights, guide you through the appropriate medical evaluations, explain impairment ratings, and compile the evidence you need to document your disability.
Employees with a partial disability after an occupational head injury may seek reemployment assistance. According to Florida’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), worker reemployment services pay for further education, training, counseling, and other occupational rehabilitation services to help workers return to the workforce within their capacity.
If a worker passes away because of an occupational head injury, their spouse or children could receive death benefits through workers’ comp, to include funeral costs, education, and income loss compensation.
If you lost someone you love to an occupational head injury, our compassionate workers’ compensation lawyers can help you apply for benefits during this challenging time.
For 50 years, Rosenberg & Rosenberg’s workers’ compensation lawyers have been working hard to make our community safer for everyone. We want to help you secure appropriate workers’ compensation for head injuries in Florida. Our team handles all injury cases on contingency, so you pay nothing for our legal assistance until and unless we win. Reach out today to schedule a free case review.