Workplace Injury Lawyers In Ohio
Last updated on March 9, 2022
Compensation Available For Workplace Injuries Like Yours
If you have suffered an injury while on the job that affects your quality of life, it is very likely that you qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. Ohio’s workers’ compensation system is a no-fault insurance program. Almost any injury or disabling illness suffered while performing assigned job duties qualifies for benefits, regardless of why it happened.
Unfortunately, some companies don’t want their injured employees to apply for workers’ comp after a workplace accident. You may have been told you won’t qualify because your employer thinks your claim will drive up their workers’ compensation insurance premiums.
Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA works with northeastern Ohio injured workers in the Mahoning Valley to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. One of our work injury attorneys can help you determine if your injury or illness qualifies, and we can help pursue the Ohio workers’ comp benefits you have coming to you.
You are no longer alone. Contact Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA, today. We know what’s required to put workers’ comp money into your hands. Get the advantage we offer, and become an Ohio workers’ compensation beneficiary.
Contents
Why Did You Become Injured On The Job In Ohio?
Some jobs are more dangerous than others. Some occupations require work hazards, such as:
- Work at elevated heights
- Work over bodies of water
- Work around heavy equipment and machinery
- Work in proximity to live electrical currents
- Exposure to radiation
- Exposure to communicable diseases
- Work requiring potential contact with caustic or toxic chemicals
- Work outdoors during inclement weather or the intense heat of the day (heat stroke)
But many of the kinds of workplace accidents we might expect to happen at so-called “hazardous” jobs may occur at any job site and leave someone injured or dead. This applies to “safe” office jobs as well as jobs that seem risky by their very description. Work with travel duties, whether driving, flying, or taking a train, expose employees to the potential for a car accident, plane crash, train derailment, and other common travel-related accidents and injuries, for example.
The Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries says America’s most dangerous jobs, based on fatal injuries to those in them, are:
- Logging
- Commercial fishing
- Piloting aircraft
- Roofing
- Sanitation (solid waste or trash and recyclables collectors)
- Farming and ranching
- Structural iron and steel work
- Truck driving, delivery work, traveling sales work
- Driving for hire (taxi and chauffeur services)
- Electrical power-line installation and repair
- Construction
- Landscaping
- General maintenance and repair work
- Law enforcement patrol
- Mechanical installation and repair
- Painting (maintenance and new construction)
- Electrical work
- Telecommunications line repair and installation
How Were You Hurt While On The Job In Ohio?
Many injured workers have the misconception that Ohio’s workers’ compensation program only pays benefits for injuries that can be attributed to a single workplace accident. In fact, if you have developed what’s considered a “cumulative injury,” a disabling condition from years of stress and strain, you may qualify for benefits. Workers’ compensation also pays benefits to those who have contracted debilitating illnesses due to job duties or occupational exposure.
If you suffer an injury or illness listed below (or more than one), and you sustained it in the course of performing your job duties, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. You should contact Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA, as soon as possible. There are deadlines for filing workers’ compensation claims. Let us help you today.
Contact us about your:
- Back injury. Lower back pain caused by years of stress from lifting and carrying is one of the most common complaints of American workers. A sudden blow, jolt, or awkward twisting of the back and spinal column can also cause painful strains, sprains, and in some cases, fractured vertebrae and/or herniated disks. Accidental back injuries are often attributed to falls, being hit by objects, or being pushed up against objects, but may also be caused by a single act of bending over, reaching, lifting, or carrying something heavy.
- Paralysis (spinal cord injury). The spinal cord runs within the vertebrae from the base of the skull to just above the buttocks. It connects the brain to the central nervous system, which is responsible for the function of the rest of the body. Injury to the spinal cord can cause paralysis or the loss of feeling and control over body parts. “Complete” or “incomplete” paralysis occurs below the point of injury on the spinal cord. Paralysis is generally thought of as loss of the use of the legs or arms, but it may also cause bowel and bladder dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, and inability to regulate blood pressure and/or respiration. Falls, blows to the back, and injuries that otherwise tear the spinal cord cause paralysis.
- Traumatic brain injury (head injury). A blow or significant jolt to the head, or a wound that breaks the skull and pierces brain tissue can cause traumatic brain injury (TBI). A concussion, or mild TBI, typically heals with several days of rest. More significant TBIs can cause loss of physical, cognitive, and/or psychological function, which may return with therapy or be permanent. Occupational TBIs occur in falls, accidents in which objects fall onto workers’ heads, or when a worker is violently pushed or slammed into an immobile structure or object.
- Neck and shoulder injury. Neck pain can occur in workers who must bend (or “crane”) their necks for prolonged periods due to cumulative stress that is applied to neck muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Workers who lift objects and raise their arms above their heads repeatedly may develop shoulder disorders. Repeated stretching and reaching can lead to a common shoulder disorder known as rotator cuff tendinitis. Thoracic outlet syndrome is a painful condition resulting from nerve and blood vessel compression between the neck and shoulder. It can be caused by the repetitive use of hand tools.
- Fracture (broken bone). Striking, violently twisting or crushing a limb, hand, or foot, the rib cage, chest (sternum) or other parts of the body can break the underlying bones. Workers typically suffer fractures in falls, from being hit by or crushed by moving objects, being slammed into immobile structures, or by becoming caught in machinery. Several weeks of immobilization in a cast usually resets a simple fracture, but older workers’ bones take longer to mend and do not heal as well. Compound fractures (bones that protrude through the skin), multiple broken bones, crushed bones or severe fractures of large bones require surgery and leave the patient bed-ridden for several weeks.
- Joint injury. Joint inflammation and pain can limit mobility and the ability to perform a variety of job functions, from lifting items to grasping small objects, such as coins. The impact of a blow, such as in a fall, or sudden twisting or cumulative strain can injure the bones and cartilage that form joints or tear ligaments and tendons that support joints and surrounding muscle. A dislocated shoulder, hip, elbow, or knee is a medical emergency. A dislocated joint must be manually repositioned and stabilized with a splint or sling for several weeks, and the injury victim must then undergo rehabilitative physical therapy. Severely injured knees and hips may require surgery to implant artificial knee or hip joints.
- Amputation. When a limb (arm, leg), hand or foot, a digit (finger, toe), or other body parts (such as an ear) is severed in an accident, it is known as a “traumatic amputation.” In accidents in which damage to a limb or other body part is too extensive for repair, doctors may perform a surgical amputation. Tearing and crushing injuries, such as from getting caught in machinery, and impact injuries, such as from heavy objects falling onto a worker, can lead to amputations in the workplace.
- Ear injury (hearing loss). Long-term exposure to loud noise in the workplace, from machinery or other sources, can cause hearing loss. Loud noises or the sonic impact of an explosion can also damage the eardrum in a single accident. Some injuries to the eardrum can be repaired, but hearing loss due to nerve damage is irreversible.
- Eye injury (vision loss). An accident that causes an object or small particles to strike and pierce or scrape the eye may cause injury that results in temporary or permanent vision loss. Such accidents occur in work environments contaminated by dust, or in which tools or equipment may eject metal slivers, wood chips, staples, nails, etc. Cleaning or industrial chemicals that are splashed into workers’ eyes or burns from UV radiation (welder’s flash) can also cause a loss of vision. Actual loss of an eye is considered facial disfigurement (FD), which qualifies for a separate one-time workers’ compensation benefit.
- Burn. A severe burn is among the most painful injuries a human can suffer. Widespread burns, due to loss of the epidermis’s protection, leave the injury victim susceptible to infection, which can progress quickly and prove fatal. Third-degree burns (damage to fatty tissue below the skin) may cause disfigurement that requires plastic surgery to repair. Burn injuries in the workplace may be the result of open flame or explosion, hot machinery elements, steam, chemicals, or electric current. Burns from fire are often accompanied by respiratory damage due to smoke inhalation, which can also be the eventual cause of the worker’s death.
- Electrocution and electrical shock. A person who is exposed to a lethal amount of electricity is said to have been electrocuted. Nonlethal electrical shock is considered a burn injury. In the workplace, shock or electrocution is typically caused by contact with overhead power lines or live wires, defective equipment or tools, frayed cords, or improper use of extension cords.
- Carpal tunnel syndrome (repetitive motion injury). Continuous or long-term pressure on the median nerve in the wrists through the execution of repetitive tasks can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome. Because the median nerve supplies feeling to the hands and fingers, carpal tunnel syndrome can cause numbness, tingling, weakness, pain, and other problems in the victim’s hands. Carpal tunnel is usually cited as a malady of office workers who continually type at a computer, but any long-term repetitive motion of the hands and/or wrists can cause the injury. Treatment options include pain medication, physical therapy, and, in serious cases, surgery to repair the effects of nerve damage.
- Chronic pain. Severe, unceasing pain may be caused by lower back strain, nerve damage, joint strain that has developed into arthritis, or an untreated or improperly treated injury. It is typically suffered after years of hard labor or as the lasting effect of a single serious injury. Chronic pain may be debilitating and can lead to psychological problems ranging from anger and emotional outbursts to loss of self-esteem and depression. Workers suffering from true chronic pain should not be dissuaded from seeking medical and legal help with their loss.
- Occupational disease. There are typically multiple causes behind a work-related or occupational disease, such as carcinogens, ergonomic stress, noise, and other specific risks present in the work environment. Common occupational diseases include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which can be caused by exposure to excessive amounts of dust, smoke, gas fumes, etc.; and various cancers, such as mesothelioma, which manifests decades after exposure to asbestos, or cell damage and mutation resulting from faulty x-ray equipment or other radiation sources. Topical exposure to toxic chemicals may lead to occupational skin diseases and even full-systemic toxicity. Healthcare workers are routinely exposed to communicable diseases, including such illnesses as HIV (AIDS) and hepatitis. Several diseases can be found to have their origins in occupational exposures that would make the ill worker qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
Is your workplace injury or illness described above? The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation pays benefits for these injuries and others when they are properly documented on claim applications. Our attorneys at Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA, know what claims examiners are looking for in workers’ compensation benefit applications.
We can help you assemble your claim application and ensure it is complete and clear to claim examiners. We can enhance the potential for you to receive benefits with an initial application or with your next appeal if the benefits you deserve have already been denied.
Contact Ohio Workplace Injury Lawyer To Get Workers’ Compensation
Put Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA, to work on your workers’ compensation claim so the advantage moves back to you. Every day, we work with people who have suffered workplace injuries like yours. We can help you fully document your occupational injury the first time you apply for workers’ comp or at any point in the claims process, and help you obtain the benefits you deserve.
We know what injured workers like you and their families go through after a job-related injury has left a breadwinner unable to return to work. We also know what’s required in a successful workers’ compensation claim.
We deal with Ohio workers’ compensation laws and the bureaucracy of the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (BWC) on behalf of workers like you every day. We want to make the system work for you. We’re here to help. You are no longer alone in this.
Heller, Maas, Moro & Magill Co., LPA, protects the rights of injured workers in northeast Ohio’s Mahoning Valley. Since our founding in 1985, we have developed a solid reputation for trustworthiness due to our continued loyalty to clients and our community. Seek the workers’ compensation benefits you are promised by Ohio law. We want to make the system work for you. Call us today.