Closed Head Injuries

Closed Head Injuries and Post-Concussion Syndrome

If you were struck in the head by an object at work or fell and hit your head, you may have suffered a closed head injury. The seriousness of this type of workplace injury may not be obvious at first. Your head may show no signs of bleeding or injury, and an initial MRI may not reveal any damage. But your brain may be bruised or shaken. The symptoms of a closed head injury may develop slowly over time. A worker may suffer post concussion syndrome, a complex disorder involving headaches, dizziness, memory loss and other symptoms that last for months after a closed head injury.

Injured on the Job? Contact Our Workplace Accident Lawyers

If you or a loved one has suffered a closed head injury or experienced symptoms of post concussion syndrome after a workplace injury, talk to a workplace injury attorney at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., about the workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to receive, including lost wages, medical treatment expenses and vocational rehabilitation costs.

For a free case evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online or call us toll free at 800-367-0871. The experienced workers’ compensation attorneys at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., have more than 20 years of experience fighting for the rights of individuals injured in the course of their employment.

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., help injured workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth or Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

Closed Head Injuries

Closed head injuries can result in serious brain injuries, even though the skull isn’t penetrated or fractured. It’s important to obtain the appropriate medical damages and full workers’ compensation benefits if you have sustained a closed head injury or suffered post concussion syndrome after a workplace injury.

Serious closed head injuries can cause:

• Coma;
• Post concussion syndrome;
• Chronic headaches;
• Change in sensation, hearing, vision, taste or smell;
• Seizures; and
• Slurred speech or speech problems.
• Short or long term memory loss.

Workers who suffer post concussion syndrome may have ongoing symptoms of mild traumatic brain injury such as headaches, dizziness, sleep problems, fatigue, insomnia and loss of concentration and memory. According to the Mayo Clinic, the risk of developing post concussion syndrome increases with age, and women are more likely to be diagnosed with post concussion syndrome than men.

What Jobs Are Associated With Closed Head Injuries and Post Concussion Syndrome?

Any workplace in which a worker may be struck in the head can cause a closed head injury and post concussion syndrome. Employers should provide hard hats and safety equipment to workers who have jobs that are conducive to head injuries.

• A construction worker may be struck in the head by a moving object, a piece of heavy equipment or a dropped tool.
• Riggers who assist crane operators in transferring cargo are at risk of being struck by a crane boom, rope wires, hooks, shackles or a swinging load. They may suffer a closed head injury and ongoing symptoms of post concussion syndrome.
• Laborers, roofers, painters and maintenance workers working on scaffoldings, ladders, or elevated platforms may suffer a closed head injury in a fall from a height. Employers should provide workers with fall protection devices such as safety belts and lanyards to prevent falls resulting in serious workplace injuries.
• Drivers who drive for a living may bang their head against a windshield and suffer a closed head injury in an automobile accident that doesn’t shatter the glass, but causes a brain injury and the symptoms of post concussion syndrome.

What Disability Benefits Are Available for Closed Head Injuries?

A closed head injury or post concussion syndrome can put an employee out of work for an extended period of time or leave him or her unable to return to a former job. You may be eligible for temporary total disability, partial disability or permanent and total disability benefits as a result of a workplace injury involving a closed head injury. Employee’s workers’ compensation benefits are determined by several factors including average weekly wage and degree of incapacity from a workplace injury. A knowledgeable Massachusetts workers’ compensation attorney can review your workplace injury and advise you about which benefits you are entitled to collect.

Why You Need A Workers’ Compensation Attorney

The Massachusetts workers’ compensation system is designed to ensure that employers have insurance to cover employees who are injured or disabled by workplace injuries, including closed head injuries. All employees have legal rights to workers’ compensation for work-related closed head injuries. But injured workers often have difficulty obtaining workers’ compensation for work-related injuries, including closed head injuries and post concussion syndrome. The employer’s insurance company may try to dispute your post concussion syndrome was a workplace injury.

At a hearing at the Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents to decide your workers’ compensation claim, the insurer will have a lawyer trying to deny or minimize the connection between your medical condition and your employment. It’s important that you have strong representation, too. You should have a knowledgeable workers’ compensation lawyer standing up for your legal rights and benefits.

Contact Our Workplace Injury Lawyers Today

While many Massachusetts lawyers practice in a number of different areas of the law, the workplace injury lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates, P.C., concentrate exclusively in the area of workers compensation. Our experienced workers’ compensation attorneys have more than 20 years of experience in all types of workplace injury cases — and we can help you.

We believe in a hands-on approach, providing individual attention to each and every client. We do not pass off cases to other Massachusetts law firms or to junior associates. A client will have the same attorney handling his or her claim from start to conclusion.

Our workplace accident attorneys believe strongly that all clients should be well educated with respect to the laws and that they should be active participants in all facets of their workers’ compensation claim. We are ready to answer workplace injury questions from workers across Massachusetts, including but not limited to Boston, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Suffolk, Plymouth or Merrimack River. We also represent Rhode Island and New Hampshire residents whose injuries occurred in Massachusetts or who were hired in Massachusetts but who were injured out of state.

For a free, no-obligation evaluation of your workers’ compensation claim, please contact us online. The workers’ compensation lawyers at Kantrovitz & Associates are here to help victims of workplace injuries. You may also call us toll free at 800-367-0871.