Soft Tissue Injuries in the Airline Industry
Chicago Lawyers for Workers Hurt On the Job
Soft tissue injuries in the airline industry are common. However, it can be trickier to get workers’ compensation benefits for soft tissue injuries than it is to get benefits for more severe injuries. Harm to soft tissue can consist of sprains and strains to the ankles, knees, shoulders, wrists, neck, or back. If you can show there is a link between your job and your soft tissue injury, you may be able to obtain benefits. These benefits can include disability benefits as well as coverage for medical bills. Unfortunately, there may be many contributing factors to a soft tissue injury, and your valid claim may be denied. It’s wise to consult an experienced Chicago workers’ compensation attorney to help you pursue your benefits claim. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, we may be able to represent you.
Soft Tissue Injuries in the Airline Industry
Soft tissue injuries involve damage to tendons, ligaments, and muscles. Ligaments are fibrous, elastic tissue bands that link and stabilize bones. Tendons are flexible bands of tissue connecting muscle to bone.
Often soft tissue injuries cause pain, swelling and bruising. Specific injuries can include bursitis, tendonitis, sprains, contusions, stress injuries, and strains. Each of these manifests a little differently. For example, a sprain occurs when there is a partial tear to a ligament. While treatment may include rest, ice, compression, and elevation, a more serious or completely torn ligament could require surgical repair. A contusion can arise because blunt force is applied to soft tissues; for example, you might suffer a contusion if you were a flight attendant hit by a piece of falling luggage during in-flight turbulence. Tendonitis occurs when the tendon is inflamed due to overuse from repetitive motion. Bursitis involves inflammation of the bursa, which are fluid-filled sacs that cushion tendons, muscles, or the area between bones. Bursitis is often the result of overuse, but could also be the result of trauma, and it usually impacts the hip, knee, elbow, shoulder, foot, and ankle.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Soft Tissue Injuries
If you’re able to show a connection between your airline work and your soft tissue injuries, you may be able to get workers’ compensation benefits, and a dedicated work injury lawyer can help. Benefits you may be entitled to receive include medical costs as well as disability benefits. Disability benefits range from temporary partial disability benefits to permanent total disability benefits. The extent and severity of the workplace soft tissue injuries will dictate what types of benefits you’re entitled to. If you suffer only a contusion, you may only get temporary partial disability benefits or temporary total disability benefits. However, if you suffer a complete tear of a ligament that requires surgery and you are not able to work anymore, you may be able to get permanent total disability benefits.
There are also situations in which a soft tissue injury renders an airline worker completely unable to work in the industry any longer. For example, if you are a flight attendant who is struck by a falling cart and you suffer a soft tissue injury that impacts your back, you may no longer be able to stand and move about on a flight for long stretches. It may be possible, as a workers’ compensation benefit, to undergo vocational rehabilitation. Vocational rehabilitation helps workers train and prepare for changes to their positions. It may include counseling, as well as a supervised job search.
Seasoned Workers’ Compensation Attorneys in Chicago
Although soft tissue injuries may sound minor, they can run from being very slight to extremely severe. When they are very severe they may require surgical intervention, or they may result in a worker not being able to stay in the same job. If you have suffered soft tissue injuries in the airline industry in Chicago, you can talk to a knowledgeable workers’ compensation lawyer. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, we represent injured airline workers in Champaign, Quincy, Rockford, and Aurora, along with Kane, Cook Winnebago, Sangamon, and Adams Counties. Contact us at 312-724-5846 or by completing our online form.