Examples of Specific Work Injuries

In workers’ compensation, a “specific injury” is any work-related injury derived by a single event, such as a workplace injury. Unlike cumulative injuries, such as occupational diseases and repetitive motion injuries, specific injuries are timely in nature.

Some Examples of common specific work injuries include:

• Accidental amputation/loss of a limb
• Slip and Fall 
• Loss of one or both eyes
• Concussions and other head/brain injuries
• Burns
• Broken bones/fractures
• Muscle sprains, strains, and tears
• Spinal cord injuries
• Serious cuts, scrapes, and abrasions
• Blunt force trauma/internal bleeding or organ damage

Specific injuries are oftentimes catastrophic by nature, and require immediate medical attention and maintenance of treatments. When an employee suffers these types of injuries they may not be able to return back to work for weeks or months—or they may unfortunately become permanently disabled. And due to that fact, this may endure significant financial hardship to an already-complex event.

On the bright side, if your specific injury is work-related, you are most likely entitled to obtain workers’ compensation benefits, including medical and temporary disability wage replacement benefits.

Common Causes of Specific Work Injuries

Specific injuries are often caused by one-time accidents and other traumatic events.

Some of the most common workplace and work-related accidents include:

• Slips, trips, and falls 
• Commercial vehicle accidents
• Overexertion
• Falls to lower levels
• Electrocution
• Entanglement/crush accidents
• Machinery/equipment accidents
• Being struck by falling objects
• Contact with stationary objects
• Improper lifting
• Structure collapses

These and other devastating events can often lead to severe, specific injuries. If you can prove that the accident that caused your injury occurred at work or while you were working/carrying out any activities that benefitted your employer, you may be entitled to recover monetary benefits by filing a workers’ compensation claim.

What Compensation Is Available for Victims of Specific Work Injuries?

In the State of California, workers’ compensation provides several different types of benefits to those who are injured at work or in the course and scope of their employment.

In the event, if you encountered a specific work-related injury, you may be entitled for the following workers’ compensation benefits:

• All costs associated with “reasonable and necessary” medical treatment
• Temporary partial disability and/or temporary total disability
• Permanent partial disability and/or permanent total disability
• Supplemental job displacement (also known as “vocational rehabilitation”)

The exact type and value of benefits you may be able to recover will depend on various factors, such as the severity of your injury, whether you were hospitalized, what treatments were required, and whether you are able to perform light-duty work.

Would an Employer Deny a Specific Injury Claim?

It is very rare for employers or their insurance providers to decline a specific injury workers’ compensation claim. Because these types of injuries generally result from obvious, on-the-job accidents, it is complex for insurance companies to dispute an employee’s resulting injuries. Nevertheless, this does not mean that your employer cannot or will not dispute or deny your claim.

In fact, your employer or their insurance company can decline your specific injury workers’ compensation claim on various grounds, including but not limited to:

• Insufficient medical evidence
• Lack of injury
• Failure to report the injury
• Waiting too long to report the injury
• Ineligibility based on employee’s classification
• “Horseplay” (employee negligence)

Your employer may even try to argue that the accident occurred outside of work or that you were not performing work-related duties when you were injured.

Hire a Workers Compensation Attorney at Law Mart Today!

It is vital that you work with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer who can assist you to protect your rights and fight back against employer and insurance company disputes. At the Law Mart our specific injury workers’ compensation attorneys have been fighting for injured employees throughout all of California for nearly a decade. Our experienced workers compensation attorneys can handle the various legal details of your claim—including any disputes that may arise—while you focus on maintaining your treatment and getting in a better situation. Call us today for a free consultation at 310-894-6440.