One of the more serious injuries that you can suffer at work is a tear in your anterior cruciate ligament. All it takes to cause you a serious ACL injury on the job is one wrong step.
An ACL injury could require reconstructive surgery, and it would keep you out of work for an extensive period of time. You may not even be able to perform the job duties that you once did before the injury. If you have suffered a torn ACL injury, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Contact the workers’ comp lawyers at Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys to discuss your claim.
Types of ACL Injuries
The types of ACL injuries you could suffer on the job include:
- A grade 1 injury is when the ACL is stretched. This type of injury may not necessarily require surgery, although it would require some rest to heal. The ligament may still be able to provide some stability to your knee.
- A grade 2 injury is more serious. The ligament may be partially torn, and it would be up to the doctor to perform a surgical procedure to repair it. You can count on missing some time from work with this type of injury.
- A grade 3 ACL injury is the most severe type of damage that you can suffer. In this injury, the ACL is likely torn, and you would need intensive surgery to repair it.
A torn ACL can be an even more serious injury than a torn meniscus. In the latter injury, you have a tear in the cushioning between your shinbone and thighbone. ACL injuries are even more serious because you lose all stability in your knee.
The Crucial Importance of Your Knee Ligaments
Your ligaments perform a crucial function in your knee. The role of the ligaments is to give your knee stability and strength.
Anytime that you engage in some sort of physical activity, the ACL is the main ligament that provides stability. If this ligament tears, you would be dealing with an unstable need that cannot perform any vigorous physical functions. The medial collateral ligament (MCL) also provides stability in the knee. However, an ACL injury is thought of as more serious than an MCL injury.
You may still be able to perform some work with an injured MCL, and you may not even need surgery.
Your ACL is usually injured by some sort of awkward twisting of the knee. If your knee bends backward or side to side, it could cause a serious injury.
Reconstructive Knee Surgery for a Torn ACL
Torn ligaments do not heal themselves. No amount of rest or rehabilitation can repair a fully torn ligament. Instead, you would need surgery to repair the tear. This type of procedure is known as reconstructive knee surgery, and it is supposed to rebuild the ligament.
The surgeon would take surgical tissue and graft it onto the torn ligament. Surgical tissue would be attached, and it should repair the tear fully. In effect, the doctor is creating a new ACL, either from tissue or other parts of your body.
Even professional athletes need up to a year to fully recover from reconstructive knee surgery.
You can anticipate a lengthy period of rehabilitation where you may not be able to work. If your job involves physical duties, a reconstructive knee surgery could keep you out of work for a considerable amount of time.
Workers’ Compensation Benefits for a Torn ACL Injury
Generally, workers’ compensation benefits will cover reasonable medical treatment for your injuries and a portion of your lost wages when you are unable to fully work. You may be entitled to a workers’ compensation settlement when your ACL injury was job-related.
Usually, a workers’ compensation settlement for a torn ACL in North Carolina would be tens of thousands of dollars or even more. However, we would need to review your case before we can give you an indication of what you may deserve.
It is hard to give a figure that represents an average workers’ comp settlement for a knee injury.
Much depends on the severity of your injury and how much you were making before you were hurt. If you are focused on what someone else may have gotten in a settlement, you could end up leaving money on the table.
What you should know is that hiring an attorney can help you secure the best possible workers’ compensation settlement for an ACL injury.
How Our Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Can Help You
When you are looking at a large potential settlement, it helps to gain the knowledge of an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.
Not every workers’ compensation case is straightforward. The insurance company may introduce complexities into your case that could make your life more difficult. You never know that you are getting the most possible money for your settlement until you know how much your case is worth.
Our lawyers can do the following for your case involving an ACL injury:
- Review your medical records to understand the severity and extent of your injuries
- Prepare the workers’ compensation claim on your behalf
- Fight a denial with an appeal to the North Carolina Industrial Workers Commission
- Negotiate a workers’ compensation settlement when you know the extent of your injuries
- Handle any other issues that arise, including a premature decision to force you back to work when you are not ready.
At its core, workers’ compensation is a complicated legal process, and you need a guide and advocate throughout. Our lawyers have helped numerous injured North Carolinians through on-the-job accidents, allowing them to focus on their recovery.
Contact a North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Attorney Today
If you have been injured on the job, Horton & Mendez Injury Attorneys can be effective advocates for you. Insurance companies like to make people’s lives harder because they know that claimants could either go away or take less than they deserve.
When you hire us as your attorneys, we could do everything in our power to ensure that does not happen. You can schedule a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys by sending us a message through our online form or by calling us today at 910-405-7751.
