Value of January ’16 Workers’ Compensation Cases
A partial list of workers’ compensation PPD awards and settlements obtained by Warnken, LLC in January of 2016…
- Injury: Torn ACL
- Body Part: Right Knee
- Amount: $32,000.00
- Claimant was injured when he was moving a vehicle in a parking lot. He underwent both surgery and subsequent therapy. He was able to return to pre-injury employment. The value of torn ACL’s in workers’ comp varies widely. Just because this case resulted in $32,000 to our injured worker client does not mean all such cases will.
- Injury: Right flexor digitorum profundus tendinosis, right flexor digitorum tenosynovitis, right ring finger tendon sheath rupture, right index finger contractures, CPRS (RSD)
- Body Part: Right hand
- Amount: Slightly less than $50,000
- Claimant was injured while subduing a resisting suspect. He underwent surgical repair for his injuries and is required to wear a brace permanently. He was unable to return to pre-injury employment.
- Injury: Rotator Cuff Tear
- Body Part: Right shoulder
- Amount: Between $47,000.00 and $50,000
- Claimant sustained injury when attempting to assist a child who was falling, injuring the right shoulder. Claimant underwent surgical repair of the shoulder. Claimant was unable to return to pre-injury employment. The Subsequent Injury Fund was also liable for a pre-existing injury that had previously required surgery.
- Injury: Rotator cuff tear
- Body Part: Left shoulder
- Amount: Between $30,000.00 and $35,000
- Claimant was injured as the result of a slip and fall, falling onto outstretched arm. Claimant underwent surgical repair and was able to return to her pre-injury employment as a teacher, albeit with permanent work restrictions.
- Injury: Partial thickness rotator cuff tear
- Body Part: Right shoulder
- Amount: $25,000.00
- Claimant was injured when he pulled the door to a large recycling bin while at work that was stuck and would not open. He was treated conservatively with injections and therapy. He was able to return to pre-injury employment.
You can see from the above three cases, that rotator cuff tears, usually substantial injuries, are worth significant sums of money, at least as workers’ compensation cases go. The three above cases don’t necessary mean that’s the average amount for a shoulder injury (specifically a rotator cuff tear) in workers’ compensation. The average, according to the Comp Pinkbook, is $25,378. You can see a series of compensation figures related to shoulder injuries at this page on MDCompLaw.com.
- Injury: Left calcaneus comminuted fracture
- Body Part: Left foot
- Amount: In excess of $33,000.00
- Claimant was injured when he was knocked off of a heavy piece of machinery at a construction site and fell onto his foot. He underwent surgical repair and therapy. He was able to return to pre-injury employment with permanent work restrictions.
- Injury: Torn medial and lateral meniscis
- Body Part: Left knee
- Amount: $17,000.00
- Claimant was injured after completing excessive amounts of bending while at work. Injured worker underwent surgery for his injuries and therapy.
- Injury: Disc bulging at L4-5 and L5-S1
- Body Part: Back
- Amount: $31,000.00
- Claimant was injured when he bent over to lift something, injuring his back. He underwent conservative treatment in the form of therapy and injections. He was unable to return to pre-injury employment.
- Injury: Traumatic Brain Injury
- Body Part: Brain
- Amount: $16,000.00
- Claimant settled his claim against the Subsequent Injury Fund from a serious accident he was involved in prior to his corresponding worker’s compensation claim for an injury to his back. (For more info on pursuing compensation from the SIF, see here.)
- Injury: Extensor tendon injury
- Body Part: Left thumb
- Amount: $15,000.00
- Claimant was injured when he was installing flooring and cut his thumb using a hook blade knife. He underwent surgical repair to the tendon and therapy. He was able to return to pre-injury employment.
- Injury: Trochanteric bursitis, sacroiliac pain, right knee sprain
- Body Part: Back and hip and knee
- Amount: Slightly in excess of $8,000
- Claimant was injured from a fall at work. Claimant was treated conservatively with therapy and injections to the hip.
- Injury: Neck sprain, back sprain, wrist sprain
- Body Part: Back, neck, wrists
- Amount: $35,000.00
- Claimant was injured when he fell while walking on metal beams in the ceiling to the ground 15 feet below. He was treated conservatively for his injury.
- Injury: Back sprain
- Body Part: Back
- Amount: $20,000.00