For anyone in Denver who has had to miss some work, they know that just losing a week’s worth of pay can be very difficult. Now, imagine not getting paid for a year; for many people it would be next to impossible to cover costs without getting paid for a year. Throw medical expenses on top of that and most people would quickly become impoverished. Fortunately, if someone is missing work because of an on-the-job injury, he or she could still be getting paid through the Colorado workers’ comp benefits program.
Although this accident didn’t happen in Colorado and the employee would not be seeking benefits here, it is still likely that a man who was hospitalized for a year following an on-the-job injury was collecting lost wage benefits through his state’s workers’ comp program. The 35 year old, a plane mechanic, had been working when he got caught on a plane’s wing flap. His lungs were seriously damaged and he suffered a heart attack during the incident.
He stayed in the hospital for almost a year before he was eventually discharged. Though he was released, he still has considerable therapy that he needs to complete and he certainly hasn’t been able to start working immediately. Even after he was discharged, he was still so weak that he couldn’t even play with his dogs.
It was only in January that he was able to return to work, albeit only part time.
The process of recovering from a serious workplace injury is often longer than many of us would hope, and that is why it is so important to consult a workers’ compensation attorney to file for lost wage benefits.
Source: HeraldNet, “Fellow Boeing workers come to aid of injured friend,” Sharon Salyer, April 8, 2013
