Blindness Caused by Workplace Accidents and Exposures
Nobody wants to think about the possibility of suffering a permanent injury in the workplace that results in the complete loss of one of your senses and a permanent disability, including vision loss. Yet there are serious and life-altering injuries and exposures that can happen in various types of workplaces that can result in anything from partial vision loss in one eye to complete vision loss in both eyes and blindness.
What should you know about vision loss and blindness caused by workplace injuries and exposures? Consider the following information from our Maryland work injury attorneys.
Blindness and Vision Loss at Work: Getting the Facts
How does blindness happen due to workplace accidents, and what are the consequences? According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), there are approximately 20,000 reported eye injuries in the workplace annually, resulting in about $300 million every year in payouts through workers’ compensation.
How do most accidents resulting in vision loss and blindness occur? The AAO cites the following:
- Shards flying into a worker’s eyes, including metal, glass, or even wood shards;
- Small particles entering the eyes, like tiny wood splinters, metal shavings, and crystalline silica;
- Tool slipping or malfunctioning and damaging the eye directly; and
- Chemical spills or splatters, with even small amounts of certain chemicals having the ability to cause debilitating damage.
How Maryland Law Handles Disability Payments for Loss of Vision
Under Maryland law, the loss of an eye, as well as the permanent loss of use of an eye, is compensated at a rate of 250 weeks per eye. It is important to be clear that the statute cites this number of payments for the loss of an eye but is clear that the “permanent loss of use of a hand, arm, foot, leg or eye shall be considered equivalent to the loss of the hand, arm, foot, leg, or eye.” In other words, there is no meaningful distinction between the loss of an eye and the permanent loss of use of an eye.
Partial or total loss of vision in one or both eyes can also result in disability payments based on the percentage of vision lost and whether loss of vision is total, equivalent to the loss of an eye.
Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney for Assistance Seeking Compensation After a Workplace Injury or Exposure That Caused Blindness
Losing your sight is often among the most devastating and debilitating injuries or conditions that a person can experience. When loss of sight or blindness results from a workplace accident and injury, or due to a workplace exposure whether once or over a longer period of time, it may be possible to obtain a range of workers’ compensation benefits. In addition to receiving compensation for medical care and payments to help replace your lost wages, you may also be eligible to receive disability payments for a specific number of weeks based on the particulars of your vision loss or blindness. To learn more and to begin the process of seeking financial compensation, you should get in touch with one of the experienced Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC. Contact our firm today for assistance.
Sources:
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/injuries-work
https://mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Laws/StatuteText?article=gle§ion=9-627&enactments=false
