Cases of Interest: April 2021
Employee Has Fingers Amputated on the Job
Our client was on the job when a piece of wood got stuck in the machine he was working on. When the conveyor stopped, he reached in to pull out the wood and the conveyor started back up again. When the conveyor started up, it grabbed his hand and pulled him into the machine. He was able to pull his hand out, but not before his thumb and middle finger were amputated. He was rushed to Fremont Memorial Hospital and was then life-flighted to UTMC for emergency surgery. After losing his fingers, our client then suffered a complicated infection and faces a long road to recovery. Our office is pursuing a workers’ compensation claim with a separate claim for violation of a specific safety requirement.
Teen Suffers Broken Tibia While Placed in Hoyer Lift at School
Our client is a senior in high school who requires the assistance of aides during school hours. One day while our client was in school and under the care of aides, she was placed in a Hoyer lift for transfer assistance. As she was being lifted, her foot caught under a table, and a loud pop was heard. Our client was then sent home while visibly in pain. While at home our client began screaming and shaking in pain and her leg was noticeably distorted. She was rushed to the hospital and was found to have sustained a broken tibia. Our client’s parents called the school and were given inconsistent accounts of how the incident occurred. Our office is investigating the school and the individuals involved.
Improper Turn Causes Head-On Crash
Our client was traveling on a highway in Crawford County at approximately 55 mph. At the same time, another driver suddenly turned into our client’s path of travel without warning, smashing into our client’s vehicle head-on. Upon impact, our client lost consciousness. Emergency services arrived and had to cut our client out of his vehicle with the jaws of life. He was then taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with a broken wrist, a broken nose, multiple broken ribs, bruised lungs, and a facial laceration requiring forty stitches. He underwent surgery on his wrist and faces more surgeries in the future.
