Being injured at work doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to get benefits under Illinois workers’ compensation laws. But there are some types of injuries that usually will get you benefits. Each injury type has one thing in common: the employee was exposed to something that he or she would not necessarily have been exposed to if not for the job.
Traumatic Physical Injuries: This is the most common type of injury. It’s what we commonly think of as an “accident.” When one specific occurrence happens while you’re performing your job duties, it would be considered a traumatic physical injury.
Being able to show that the accident that injured you was related to your job performance is key to getting benefits in this situation. For example, if a warehouse worker in Chicago was hit by an object falling on him, it is important to know where he was at the time, and what fell on him. Reporting the accident to your supervisor right away, and giving a detailed description to your doctor of what happened can help you to prove your case.
Repetitive Trauma: When it’s not one single event, but a course of events over time that causes your injury, then you may have a repetitive trauma injury. These injuries usually occur when certain physical movements are required to be repeated fairly regularly in order to perform your job.
Some jobs are more likely than others to lead to repetitive trauma injuries. Secretaries, for one, are at risk for carpel tunnel syndrome caused by consistent computer use. Repetitive trauma injuries can also be caused by jobs where you are doing regular movements with heavy tools, standing for prolonged periods of time, or repeatedly reaching or bending to do your job duties. Any time a part of the body is injured because of the unusual strain put in it from doing some movement with that body part over and over again, you are likely to be able to receive compensation for that injury from workers’ compensation.
Occupational Diseases: If your job exposes you to some element in the environment you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, and it caused a disease or condition, you could be compensated for this occupational disease. Some work environments have dust or fumes, for example, that are unique to that kind of work or the particular job site. Like the repetitive traumas, these injuries can develop over time from the repeated exposure.
Mental Injuries: Where a mental injury was caused by exposure on the job to either emotional stress or a physical injury, you may be entitled to benefits to compensate you. Whether the event that caused your mental injury was physical (such as a hit on the head) or emotional (such as witnessing a co-worker’s brutal accident), if it was an event that was unique to your work, you could be compensated under workers’ compensation. A physical injury doesn’t need to be an ongoing part of your situation in order to recover for a mental injury.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.