Nerve Injuries for City of Chicago Workers

Chicago Lawyers for Helping Municipal Employees

Nerves are structures inside the body that pass chemical signals, information, from one area of the body to another. They’re made of bundles of fiber or axons, that are wrapped in layers of tissue and fat. They are part of the nervous system. Nerves include mixed nerves, motor nerves, and sensory nerves. Different types of accidents can result in nerve injuries for City of Chicago workers. If you are a City of Chicago worker who suffered a nerve injury at work, you should discuss your situation with the seasoned Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca.

Nerve Injuries for City of Chicago Workers

The main role of nerves is to carry information to and from organs, and they’re mostly involved in coordinating and controlling different body parts. When nerves are damaged by nicks, overstretching, or significant pressure, the messages to and from the brain are disrupted. Your muscles may stop functioning and you may suffer a loss of feeling. There are different categorization systems used to spell out the extent of a nerve injury.

Neuropraxia is the mildest type of nerve injury, causing only a temporary loss of motor and sensory function. It occurs when nerve conduction is blocked, often because of trauma. While persons who sustain neuropraxia may need to take time off work, in most cases, they will completely recover. Axonotmesis is a nerve injury more severe than neuropraxia. It results from displaced bone fractures or crush injuries in which the axon is damaged but the connective tissue around it stays intact. For instance, if you are a maintenance worker who falls and suffers a displaced fracture, you may also sustain axonotmesis. Neurotmesis is the most severe nerve injury with damage to the axon and the connective tissue around it. Patients may not fully recover and will likely require surgery.

City of Chicago Claims Arising Out of Nerve Injuries

The Illinois workers’ compensation system was set up as a no-fault system. You don’t need to prove the City of Chicago or anyone else was responsible for your nerve injuries. Like some other big businesses, the City of Chicago is self-insured for workers’ compensation claims. It doesn’t rely on an outside third-party insurer. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean it’s easier to get your initial claim appropriately addressed. Like a third-party insurer, the City is protective of the claims it pays.

The City may deny a workers’ compensation claim for a number of reasons. For instance, the City may deny your claim because it doubts or is skeptical about whether your nerve injuries are work-related, particularly if no supervisor or manager witnessed the accident that caused your nerve injuries. Or the City may believe you’re malingering and exaggerating the extent of your nerve injuries in order to get paid time off work or medical care for an injury sustained during your off-hours.

Sometimes, the City pays some of the benefits to which you’re entitled but doesn’t believe neurotmesis warrants the surgery that a treating physician recommends. The insurer may ask you to undergo an independent medical exam with a doctor of its choosing. The chosen doctor may have a history of siding with insurers against injured workers.

The City has tremendous resources to fight claims it disputes. You should have an experienced lawyer by your side when going up against the City to obtain benefits for nerve injuries.

Benefits

The type of benefits you can obtain through the workers’ compensation system will depend on the nature of your nerve injuries and what type of reasonably necessary medical care is appropriate. Benefits can include any reasonable and necessary medical treatment, temporary total disability benefits, permanent total disability benefits, and vocational rehabilitation. These benefits are not taxable.

Consult a Seasoned Chicago Attorney

Nerve injuries for City of Chicago workers can result in long-term disabilities. If you’re a Chicago municipal worker who was injured at work, you should discuss your situation with the experienced lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We represent injured City of Chicago workers in Rockford, Quincy, Aurora, and Champaign, as well as Adams, Kane, Cook, Sangamon, and Winnebago Counties. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.