Brain Injuries
Workers who suffer injuries from accidents in the workplace may experience long-lasting effects from the incident. Injured workers may be forced to live with loss of motion, limbs, pain, and other symptoms that may be present for the rest of their lives. One injury of particular concern is damage to the skull and brain during a workplace accident.
If a person suffers severe trauma to the head, there is a great chance that the brain may suffer injury as well. Brain injuries can seriously affect an individual’s motor skills, cognitive abilities, and memory. Individuals suffering from brain injuries may have difficulty walking, talking, and performing actions necessary to life and work functions.
Since the central nervous system is in charge of almost all bodily actions, accidents that cause damage to the brain can be especially devastating. Following such incidents, the victim may find it difficult to work and perform actions that he or she used to be able to do. Brain injuries may also cause serious changes in the person’s personality, which can further affect relationships with family and loved ones.
Other types of trauma may require only temporary rehabilitation and the effects of the injury may exist only in the short-term. Individuals may be diagnosed with a concussion, which typically requires only a short period of recovery. Others may experience symptoms like short-term memory loss, headaches, and temporary loss of cognitive functions.
Workers who suffer trauma to the cerebral cortex while on the job may be eligible for worker’s compensation benefits from their employer. If an injury on the job is well-documented, the worker may have claim to financial compensation for medical bills, treatment, lost wages, and other compensation. The rehabilitation period may be long or short, but the employer is usually required to pay at least a percentage of what the employee usually expects.
Employers can help reduce the number of head injuries that occur in the workplace by providing thorough safety training for all employees upon hire. It is also important to conduct “refresher courses” on job-site safety for all employees to bring them up to speed on changes and information they may have forgotten. It is essential to provide all employees with adequate safety equipment, including safety helmets and other protective gear to help prevent serious injury to the head and brain.
If you would like more information regarding brain injuries and worker’s compensation benefits, visit the website of the Pennsylvania worker’s compensation lawyers of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C.
