Falling Off a Truck Workers’ Compensation – $170,000 Settlement
In this case, our client was working towards the back of a truck when the truck driver began to pull away. He fell off the truck and landed on top of a concrete barrier. As a result, he suffered fractures to his wrist, fractures to his ribs and chest trauma. Our attorneys were able to negotiate a settlement in the amount of $170,000 on behalf of this injured worker.
Types of Truck Injuries
According to some reports, during one recent year, more than 75,000 accidents involving trucks happen every year in America, with over 4000 buses and large trucks involved in a fatal crash, a large increase over just the year before. As we all know, trucks are large, heavy vehicles (sometimes around 40 tons and 80 feet long) that require greater stopping distances and are not as easy to maneuver as passenger cars. So, when accidents do occur, they are usually severe and cause extreme damage to all those involved.
In our settlement detailed above, the facts involved a very low speed with serious consequences. Every year, truck drivers and those who assist with loading and unloading are injured. Strapping down loads often involves high tension and the loads themselves are known to slip or fall if not secured properly. Crush injuries, loss of limbs, and wrongful deaths are unfortunately more common than they should be whenever a truck is involved. Some of the most common truck-related injuries include:
Concussion: Concussions, also called minor traumatic brain injuries, are the result of a head impact which causes injury to the brain. Concussion symptoms often include confusion, headaches, nausea, dizziness, but in cases of more severe concussion, may result in forgetfulness, difficulty processing information, memory loss, and may even increase chances of developing serious conditions such as Alzheimer’s.
Hemorrhage: When a strong impact causes the skull or brain to bleed, it is referred to as a hemorrhage. When intracranial bleeding begins, it may causes increased pressure on the brain that needs to be relieved as quickly as possible so as to avoid permanent brain damage, coma or in some circumstances, death.
Skull fracture: Sometimes, an impact may be so forceful that it causes the skull to break. The most typical type of fracture is a linear fracture, with other types of fracture known as diastatic fractures and depressed fractures. The most serious kind of skull injury is a basilar skull fracture because a break of the bone found at the base of the skull occurs.
Paralysis & spinal cord damage: When a catastrophic injury occurs to the spinal cord as a result of an accident, it may be “complete” (when all sensory feeling to control motor functions is lost below the spot of spinal cord injury), or “incomplete” (there are varying degrees in which some motor functions still exist). It may also be categorized as paraplegia (in which paralysis affects part or all of the pelvic organs, legs and trunk) or tetraplegia (also referred to as quadriplegia) affecting all of the person’s pelvic organs, trunk, arms and legs).
Wrongful death: Especially in truck crashes, considering the immense weight and force involved, the potential for death is always present as well.
For over 25 years, Sexner Injury Lawyers LLC has helped those families affected by trucking accidents. Free and confidential 24-hour information is available at (312) 243-9922. No fees are ever charged unless successful.
