The Illinois workers’ compensation attorneys at Lipkin & Apter were contacted by F.G., a 58 year old respiratory therapist for South Suburban Hospital earning upwards of $25 per hour, who injured her knee while pushing a hospital bed at work in January 2008.
She underwent knee surgery and several years of treatment due to her injury and deep vein thrombosis (clotting) condition that developed following surgery. Unfortunately for F.G., she was unable to return to work because her job required her to spend several hours a day standing, walking, and flexing and bending her knee.
F.G.’s doctor believed she could not tolerate the physical demands of her job, and at the request of our attorneys, wrote a report summarizing his opinion that given her age, injury and job duties, she would be unable to resume work as a respiratory therapist.
The lawyers of Lipkin & Apter negotiated a settlement of F.G.’s workman’s compensation claim that required her employer to pay for past and future medical treatment, and a lump sum payment in the amount of $250,000, representing her permanent total disability.
In most workers compensation cases where an injured employee is unable to return to their pre-accident job, but is capable of “light duty” employment, a vocational counselor is hired to help find suitable light duty work. The employee will then receive 2/3 of the difference between their past wages with their personal injury-related employer, and new wages with their light duty employer.
In this case, because F.G. earned more than $25 per hour pre-accident, her wage differential at a new job would be expected to amount to several hundred dollars a week, which, over the course of F.G.’s remaining work life, could amount to several hundred thousand dollars.
Reducing this to present case value, F.G.’s workers compensation attorneys at Lipkin & Apter were able to negotiate a lump sum settlement of $250,000, to be paid immediately. F.G. is not precluded from working in the future, should she want to, and if her injury allows. This will be her decision alone, not mandated by Illinois Workers Compensation Law.
As an employee, you commit a great amount of time and effort to your career. In the case you are involved in a workplace accident that results in need for a workers compensation attorney’s attention, contact Lipkin & Apter.