Workers Comp Lawyer
$288,000 Union Laborer Workers Compensation Settlement
The claimant, a union carpenter, lacerated (cut) his right hand while setting floor joists. When pulling one end of the joist toward him, the other end came off the wall and dropped ten feet. The claimant’s end rose up like a see-saw. The metal gusset on the joist struck him on the hand at the base of the thumb, causing the laceration.
“The injury was to the extensor pollicis longus (EPL) and extensor pollicis brevis (EPB)”, according to claimant’s lawyer, Douglas Rallo. The EPL and EPB tendons are the tendons which extend or straighten the thumb. Surgery was performed to suture the laceration together. Post-operatively, claimant’s hand was placed in a splint. Later, he performed a regimen of physical therapy to try and regain function. The injury and surgical procedures commonly result in stiffness of the hand. “This stiffness prevented the claimant from performing the gripping and flexion/extension motions that are essential for hammering and other basic requirements of carpentry”, said Rallo. “The employer vigorously contested our position that claimant could not perform carpentry.”
We were prepared to prove our case to the judge, but on the morning of trial, the employer paid $288,000 to settle the claim”. For questions about this case, please contact Douglas Rallo at 847-816-8780.
