Machine Crush Injuries in the Workplace

Crush injuries are often among some of the most serious nonfatal injuries (though these injuries can also be fatal) that occur in Maryland workplaces. According to MedlinePlus and the National Library of Medicine, a crush injury is defined as a type of bodily injury in which “excessive force or pressure is put on a body part,” and that “most often happens when part of the body is squeezed between two objects.” These injuries are most common in jobs where employees must use heavy equipment, such as construction work due to material collapses or being caught between heavy machinery, manufacturing work that requires work with heavy machinery where a limb can become caught between, and warehousing work with assembly lines and forklifts where crush injuries often happen.

What should you know about crush injuries and seeking compensation? Consider the following information from our Maryland workers’ compensation lawyers.

Common Physical or Bodily Damage Resulting from Crush Injuries

When crush injuries occur in Maryland workplaces, serious bodily harm can follow. MedlinePlus and the National Library of Medicine cite the following as common forms of trauma that result from traumatic crush injuries:

• Severe bleeding from the part of the body that was crushed;
• Severe bruising in the area of the crush injury and the surrounding area of the body;
• Broken bones or fractures;
• Open wounds or lacerations;
• Severe nerve injuries, which may be permanent;
• Infections that result from bacteria entering the body after a crush injury;
• Compartment syndrome, which is a specific type of harm that results from increased pressure, most often in a person‚Äôs arm or leg, and can result in serious damage to the person‚Äôs muscles, nerves, blood vessels, and surrounding tissue; and
• Traumatic amputations, which can result in permanent loss of a body part such as a finger or fingers, hand, or a foot.

What Steps Should You Take After a Crush Injury in the Workplace?

Crush injuries can be incredibly severe and disorienting, and it can be difficult for an injured worker to take immediate steps with an eye toward filing a workers’ compensation claim or a third-party lawsuit.

Generally speaking, however, you should make sure to obtain medical assistance as soon as possible, and when you are able, you should capture images and video from the scene of the accident where your crush injury occurred and identify any co-workers who may be able to serve as witnesses in your case. For a workers’ compensation claim, you do not need to prove negligence since it is a no-fault system. You will, however, have to provide evidence that proves your injury arose out of and occurred in the course of your employment.

Contact a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Attorney for Assistance Seeking Compensation After a Work Crush Injury

Were you recently injured in a workplace accident that resulted in a crush injury? Whether your crush injury resulted in a traumatic amputation, a bone fracture, a severe laceration, or another type of injury, you may be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits in Maryland. It will be important to work with an experienced Maryland workers’ compensation attorneys at the Law Offices of Steinhardt, Siskind and Lieberman, LLC to determine your eligibility for benefits, and gathering evidence to show that your injury arose out of and occurred in the course of your employment, which is required by Maryland law. In some crush injury cases, the injury may have resulted from a defective machine or tool, which may also allow you to file a third-party lawsuit against the maker of the defective product. Contact our firm today to find out more about how we can assist you.

Source:

medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000024.htm