Internal Injuries in the Auto Industry

Chicago Lawyers for Workers’ Compensation Claims

There is a wide range of injuries that may be sustained by workers in the auto industry, but internal injuries are among the most dangerous. Internal injuries are those affecting organs or blood vessels that cannot be seen from outside the body, and that may require imaging to detect. An auto worker who fails to seek prompt treatment may sustain serious harm as a result of an internal injury that isn’t caught in time. If you had a workplace accident and suffered internal injuries in the auto industry, you can consult a seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation attorney. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, we can answer your questions about your legal rights and potential claims, and we may be able to represent you.

Internal Injuries in the Auto Industry

Common internal injuries can include bleeding around the lungs or the heart, tears in the large blood vessels near the center of the body, trauma to the abdomen, and head trauma with internal bleeding. Internal injuries may be sustained through a penetrating trauma or a blunt trauma. With a penetrating trauma, there is a puncturing wound, whereby skin or organs are pierced by a foreign object or even one of your own broken bones. For example, if a machine malfunctions in the manufacturing plant where you work and you are trapped such that a rib punctures your lung, this would be a penetrating trauma. However, internal injury can also be sustained through blunt trauma. Blunt trauma occurs if you’re harmed because the force of a collision or blow is extreme enough to cause injuries to the organs or internal bleeding. If you sustained internal injuries due to a workplace accident, you can notify your employer and make a claim for workers’ compensation benefits.

The Workers’ Compensation System

If you suffered internal injuries on the job, you should be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. The workers’ compensation system was designed to make it more straightforward for workers to get benefits than it would be for them to recover damages in a personal injury lawsuit in court. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system; you do not need to establish that your employer was negligent in order to receive benefits, and conversely, your employer cannot get your benefits reduced by showing you were partially or fully to blame for the workplace accident. Nonetheless, it can be challenging to navigate the workers’ compensation claims process, which is why it can be useful to consult a skilled work injury lawyer.

Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Internal Injuries

If you sustained internal injuries on the job in the auto industry, you should be able to have workers’ compensation insurance pay for all your medical costs, even if you have just started your job. Benefits can include all aspects of medical care, including emergency care and doctors’ visits, as well as surgery, medication, and any devices that are necessary to treat the internal injuries. Coverage can also include temporary or permanent disability benefits to help you recover lost wages. If your internal injuries were so severe that you’ve been rendered permanently unable to work, you can obtain permanent total disability benefits.

Death Benefits

Under some circumstances, an auto worker may sustain internal injuries that lead to death.

The workers’ compensation system provides death benefits for surviving family members, such as a spouse and minor children. They can include funeral and burial benefits, along with survival benefits in the form of 2/3 of the auto worker’s gross weekly wage for the 52 weeks before death.

Workers’ Compensation Attorneys for Chicago Area Residents

If you suffered internal injuries in the auto industry in a job-related accident, you can talk to the seasoned Chicago lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We can provide aggressive, knowledgeable legal representation to injured auto workers in Quincy, Aurora, Rockford, and Champaign, and throughout Cook, Sangamon, Kane, Winnebago and Adams Counties. We will also look at the circumstances of your internal injuries to figure out whether any other remedies are available to you aside from workers’ compensation benefits. Contact us at 312-724-5846, or through our online form