In this case, a man in his early 60s was seriously injured on the job in Massachusetts. When many issues arose in his workers’ compensation case, he contacted Mahaney & Pappas, LLP for answers to the many questions he had and for help dealing with the insurance company.
Summary of the Work Accident and Injuries
In August 2015, our client was employed by a roofing company and was working on a project in Waltham, Massachusetts. This employee was up on a ladder approximately 20 feet high when he made a wrong move and fell to the ground. Co-workers ran over and knew right away that he was very badly injured. An ambulance was called immediately and he was transported to the emergency room. In the fall, our client suffered a left femur fracture, lower back injury, right thumb fracture, and a distal radial fracture.
At the emergency room doctors determined that this injured worker needed surgery to repair his badly broken leg. This client underwent open reduction internal fixation to repair his fractured left femur. The other fractures were not as severe and casts were placed on the injured body parts. He spent months going to physical therapy, but continued to have issues with his leg.
At a follow up appointment with is surgeon, it was determined that he needed a revision surgery to remove the hardware that was initially installed and to insert a titanium rod in his leg. This is where the problems with the insurance company started.
Injured Worker Hires A Workers’ Compensation Attorney
The insurance company was paying this worker disability benefits while he was out of work. But, after having issues getting the revision surgery approved and authorized and receiving a ton of letter and forms from the workers’ compensation insurance company asking him to sign and return them, this injured worker contacted Mahaney & Pappas, LLP. We scheduled a meeting with this employee and explained the workers’ compensation process, answered all of his questions and evaluated his case. This client was happy to have a full understanding of how workers’ compensation cases proceed in Massachusetts and hired us to represent him.
We immediately got involved in this case and notified the insurance company that we now represented this injured worker. All of this client’s medical records were obtained in order for us to get a much better understanding of his injuries and need for an additional surgery. Once we received the medical records we were able to successfully negotiate with the insurance company about paying for the revision surgery from the medical benefits portion of the workers’ compensation insurance policy.
This client finally had the revision surgery in July of 2016. After months of recovery the injured worker started to feel better and was more mobile. His doctor then released this client to light duty. Unfortunately, this client’s job was terminated and he was unable to perform any construction type jobs.
The Lump Sum Settlement
When this client’s surgeon released him to light duty, the insurance company threatened to modify his disability benefits from temporary total disability to temporary partial disability. This modification would have significantly reduced the weekly checks this client was receiving. Before the insurance company could do this, we demanded to settle this case by way of a lump sum settlement.
The insurance company refused to offer a settlement that would provide this injured employee all of the benefits he was entitled to under the Massachusetts Workers’ Compensation Act. Following lengthy and tough negotiations, we were able to get this client all of the disability benefits he deserved and benefits for loss of function in his leg. Our client was very thankful for our work and for getting him what he deserved.
Have you Been Hurt on the Job in Massachusetts?
If you, or someone you know, has been injured on the job in Massachusetts, you should know your rights and be sure you are getting the benefits you deserve. To schedule your free, no-obligation case review and evaluation please call us at (508) 879-3500 or contact us online. We are more than happy to meet with you and answer all of your questions.
