Work-Related Injuries

Injured on the Job?

After you have been hurt in a workplace accident, you should come to Meyerkord & Kurth for help right away. Our team of attorneys has more than 100 years of combined legal experience, and we have a proven track record of success in helping our clients claim fair compensation for their injuries.

In fact, we have helped accident victims and their families recover more than $450 million in insurance settlements and jury verdicts. If you want compassionate support and knowledgeable legal guidance throughout the workers' compensation claims process, let us put our skill and experience to work for you.

A work-related injury can change your life forever, as it will often result in a partial or total disability, which makes it difficult - or impossible - to return to work. You could be facing a future of being unable to support your family, let alone being able to take part in your favorite activities and enjoy all that life has to offer.

To make matters worse, you may also be facing large medical bills for emergency treatment and hospitalization, as well as wondering how you can possibly afford to pay for the rehabilitative care you need to achieve a full recovery. Fortunately, you have options for claiming compensation for your injury. You are most likely entitled to claim benefits through workers' compensation and could even have grounds to file personal injury claim for monetary damages.

Workplace Injury Statistics

According to a report released by the Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, sprains and strains were the most common type of workplace injury in 2010, accounting for 36.2% of all injuries on the job.

The next most common types were bone fractures (13%), bruises (9.5%), soreness (7.8%), and thermal burns (2.6%). The torso was the most commonly injured body part, followed by the arms and hands, the legs and feet, and the head and brain. Whether you have suffered a bone break, a crushed or amputated limb, or a spinal cord injury, you can find the help you deserve at our firm.

Workplace Accidents

If you have been injured while doing your job, you have the right to file a claim for workers' compensation. There are many types of injury accidents that are covered by workers' comp insurance.

Some the most common are:

• Construction site accidents including concussions, broken bones, crush injuries
• Slip and falls
• Work-related car or truck accidents
• Back injuries from bending, standing, sitting, lifting
• Carpal tunnel and rotator cuff
• Defective or malfunctioning machinery
• Being hit by an object
• Amputation
• Electrocution and burns
• Explosions
• Occupational injuries due to exposure to toxic chemicals and asbestos
• Catastrophic injuries such as spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries
• Emotional trauma
• Claims for workplace injuries exacerbated by pre-existing or previous injuries

The Workers' comp system enables you to obtain benefits like medical treatment, a portion of lost wages, physical therapy and rehabilitation for your injuries. It is vital to have an attorney help you file your claim, negotiate a settlement with the insurance company, and, if necessary, go to trial on your behalf. Many valid claims are denied and the legal team at the firm can provide the skilled representation needed in such cases.

Workers' Compensation Benefits

In Missouri, your workplace accident enables you to receive the following benefits:

• Medical: to treat your workplace illness or injury
• Permanent disability: money to compensate you for being unable to use a part of your body due to a workplace injury
• Wages: replacement of a percentage of income you have lost due to your injury
• Death: a settlement to compensate for the death of a family member on the job

If you or a family member has been injured or lost their life while at work, our father and son team of knowledgeable lawyers will advise you on the best course of action in your work injury claim.

Head Injuries

If you were injured on the job and sustained a serious concussion, brain trauma, hemorrhaging, or other head-related injury, then you deserve representation! Head injuries can lead to serious, long-term effects such as memory loss, paralysis, and sometimes even death.

Head injuries can include concussions from blunt force trauma, impact, or from the brain being vigorously shaken. This common injury may occur in a slip and fall accident or from being hit in the head with a falling object and is often accompanied by scalp wounds and skull fractures.

These injuries can usually be avoided with proper training, safety precautions, and by having safety equipment available to every employee who is on a potentially dangerous jobsite. Failure on the part of the employer to properly provide these necessary safety precautions can result in major injuries and sometimes the death of innocent workers.

Neck and Back Injuries

Spinal cord trauma can leave a victim permanently disabled. Victims who become disabled will not only not be able to work but will also have to spend thousands of dollars on recovery, learning a new skill to work in the future, and learning to live their lives with their disability or impairment.

A lot of people who end up with serious neck and back problems will have localized pain, stiffness of the muscles surrounding the injury site, and may not be able to move with a full range of motion. In severe injury cases, victims may lose the ability to move extremities and may experience sudden-onset paralysis.

Spinal and neck injuries can happen because of trauma, such as slip and falls, irregular lifting, or something as simple as a wrong step that may throw the spinal column out of line. Treatment for neck and spinal injuries may include surgery, painful rehabilitation, and long-term physical therapy.

Meyerkord & Kurth Can Help!