Workers’ Compensation For Leg Injuries In Central Washington
When you’re working hard, there are many ways you can injure your legs. And a leg injury can severely limit your ability to keep working.
Your motion may be limited. You can no longer stay on your feet for hours. You could be in pain.
But if you have financial compensation for the costs of getting hurt at work and the income you’re missing when you’re out, you can hope for a stress-free recovery.
Workers’ compensation benefits, overseen by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) in Washington State, provides just that kind of economic support.
It pays for lost wages and the medical care you need. With workers’ comp benefits, you can maintain a stable lifestyle and focus on healing.
Many types of leg injuries can qualify for workers’ comp. And every leg injury is different in terms of what it will take to recover. A workers’ compensation lawyer from the Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC law firm can take your individual circumstances into account and help you build your claim.
Our firm helps people win workers’ comp benefits in Yakima, Kennewick, Sunnyside, Spokane, Richland, Ellensburg, Wenatchee, Walla Walla and anywhere in central Washington.
Types Of Workers’ Comp Claims For Leg Injuries
In a recent year, L&I said 8,294 workers in Washington state made workers’ compensation claims for leg injuries. Those claims totaled almost $97 million.
The most common workers’ compensation injuries to legs were traumatic injuries to muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints, which had 4,289 claims. Another 1,168 claims were for open wounds to the legs, and hundreds more were for injuries to bones, nerves, connective tissues and other parts of the legs.
Leg injuries can be involved in both of the two major categories of workers’ comp claims:
- Claims for sudden traumatic injuries
- Claims for occupational diseases
The first type of claim comes from a particular moment — an accident you can identify as the immediate cause of your injury.
The second type of workers’ comp claim results from ongoing conditions, where your injury developed with repetitive motion and strain over time, not from a specific incident.
Occupational leg and related diseases can include:
- Tendonitis
- Bursitis
- Knee disorders
- Hip disorders
Regardless of whether your injury was sudden or built up over time, for your workers’ comp claim, you’ll need to show it happened because of conditions at work.
You’ll need evidence of what happened in your accident, or evidence of the working conditions that damaged your legs.
Occupational diseases can be trickier workers’ comp claims because their exact causes are harder to identify and prove.
But Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC workers’ comp attorneys know how to approach these claims. We can look at your case and let you know your options.
How To Start An L&I Claim For A Leg Injury In Washington
Getting hit by an object on a job site or bumping up against an object are among the most common ways people get hurt at work, L&I found.
Falls, overextension, getting caught in equipment, exposure to harmful substances, abrasion from friction or pressure and repetitive motion also lead to thousands of workers’ comp claims. Any of these could cause injury to your legs.
As soon as you realize that your health has been damaged by your job — for any reason — you shouldn’t wait to get your workers’ comp claim started.
- Report your injury or illness to your employer. GET THE REPORT IN WRITING.
- Go to a doctor and get treatment for your injury or occupational illness.
And make sure your rights are protected by talking to a workers’ comp lawyer.
The workers’ comp system could try to shortchange you. To fight that, you want someone who knows the laws, doctors, courts and judges that are part of the special legal system just for workers’ comp.
An experienced Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC workers’ comp lawyer can help you secure the benefits you deserve—and a more secure financial future. Call us today at 509-606-6917 or fill out our online contact form.
