Foot and Ankle Injuries

Workplace Accident Attorneys Assisting Chicago Residents

Foot and ankle injuries are among the most common types of injuries in the workplace. They can include broken ankles, strains in the ligaments, twists, or crush injuries. If you suffered foot or ankle injuries on the job, these injuries should be compensable through the workers’ compensation system. The workers’ compensation system provides benefits regardless of fault. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, our Chicago work injury lawyers may be able to provide legal representation, and we can also represent you in any appropriate third-party claim.

Benefits for Foot and Ankle Injuries

Suffering a foot or ankle injury can cause hardship. You may not be able to do your job if your job requires walking or moving. You may need to change job duties, or you may not be able to work at all. You may need help getting to and from doctor’s appointments or physical therapy. States have enacted workers’ compensation systems in order to provide benefits to workers injured or made sick on the job. The system was specifically created to prevent employees from needing to sue their employers for benefits after being injured on the job. An employer’s insurance company pays workers’ compensation benefits, but it is your obligation to file a claim for workers’ compensation.

The benefits are meant to pay for injuries caused partially or fully by work. They are paid irrespective of fault. In a personal injury lawsuit, your lawyer would usually need to prove another party’s negligence or intentional misconduct. In a workers’ compensation claim, you do not need to show that someone else did something wrong.

You should let your employer know of an accidental injury or illness within 45 days, either orally or in writing. To avoid any potential delays, you should include a description of the injury or illness and include your contact information within your notice. You have three years from hurting your foot or ankle on the job, or within two years of the last workers’ compensation payment, whichever is later, to file your workers’ compensation claim. If your disability gets worse, and you did not resolve the case through an approved lump sum settlement, you can reopen your case within 30 months of an award being made. The settlements approved by the Commission are binding.

You may be concerned about telling your employer about your injury and utilizing the workers’ compensation system. However, it is illegal for your employer to threaten you, harass you, or terminate you for filing a workers’ compensation claim. Your employer is supposed to report any accident or fall that results in your losing more than three days of work to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. After an accident is reported, you should get a handbook explaining the law, procedures, and benefits.

In Illinois, any necessary medical services needed to fix or relieve the effects of an injury or illness should be covered by the workers’ compensation system. For example, if you need a cast, this should be covered. Additionally, within certain limits, your physical and mental rehabilitation are covered. You can choose two doctors, surgeons, or hospitals. However, if your employer tells you that it has an approved Preferred Provider Program for workers’ compensation, that will count as one of your two choices.

If you need to take time off to allow your foot or ankle to heal, you may be able to receive weekly disability payments and necessary medical care until you are able to go back to work reasonably available to you.

What if you previously had some sort of foot or ankle problem, and it was simply aggravated by working? You may be able to recover benefits for an aggravation of a pre-existing condition .

Retain a Dedicated Workers’ Compensation Attorney in Chicago

If you are concerned about a foot or ankle injury on the job, you should consult an experienced Chicago attorney. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, we also represent clients in Aurora, Springfield, Champaign, Rockford, and Quincy, as well as other cities in Cook, Kane, Sangamon, Champaign, Winnebago, and Adams Counties. You can call us at 312-724-5846, or contact us online, for a free consultation.