How Serious Does My Broken Bone Injury Have to Be to Obtain Workers’ Compensation?
Broken bones can result from a wide variety of accidents that can happen in many different kinds of workplaces. In professions that require physical labor and working from heights, falls can result in severe bone fractures. Yet bones can also be broken when you are working in a warehouse, in a retail store environment, or even in a white-collar office position. Whether you recently broke a finger or a toe, or you had a more serious bone break, you may be wondering if you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits in Maryland.
How serious does your broken bone injury have to be in order to be eligible for workers’ compensation? In short, there is no severity meter. Our Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers can tell you more.
Learning More About Broken Bones in Workplace Accidents
Broken bones can result from so many different kinds of accidents: falls, motor vehicle collisions, slamming a finger in a drawer or getting it caught in a device or machine, and more.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the severity of a bone injury depends in part on the bone that fractures and the specific type of fracture that occurs. Fracture types include the following:
- Oblique fractures and transverse fractures, which break in a straight line; and
- Fractures that break in an uneven line and tend to be more complex, including greenstick fractures, comminuted fractures, segmental fractures, and spiral fractures.
Fractures can also be described in terms of whether or not they break through the skin, which can result in additional complications and risks of infection. Fractures that do break through the skin are called open fractures (or compound fractures), while closed fractures do not.
Any Broken Bone Injury May Be Compensable
Under Maryland workers’ compensation law, there is no requirement that an injury be sufficiently severe to be eligible for compensation.
When an “accidental injury” occurs, which means an injury that arises out of and in the course of employment, an employee can be eligible for benefits. This is true whether the injury requires a relatively short period of time away from the job and limited medical treatment, or a significant time away from work and multiple treatments that may involve surgeries, rehabilitation, and more. From a broken finger to the most serious spine or skull fracture, workers’ compensation may provide coverage.
Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Lawyer for Assistance Seeking Medical Benefits and Lost Wages After Your Bone Fracture Injury at Work
Broken bones, or fractures, can range widely in severity. Some types of fractures can result in temporary disabilities, while others may result in lifelong or permanent consequences. As we discussed above, even when a relatively minor — comparative speaking — broken bone injury occurs at work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. Even if you are able to return to your job relatively quickly in a limited capacity, for example, or in a cast, you will still need medical coverage and likely will be eligible for some wage replacement benefits. For fractures that prevent you from working for a longer period of time, you may be eligible to receive additional compensation. An experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorney at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC can assist you with your case. Contact our firm today to get started on your workers’ compensation claim.
Sources:
law.justia.com/codes/maryland/labor-and-employment/title-9/
my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/15241-bone-fractures
