Whenever a worker is injured on the job, that worker is entitled to workers’ compensation benefits in Spartanburg, South Carolina. These benefits include medical treatment coverage and wage benefits at two-thirds of your average weekly wages. However, the process is not always as simple and smooth as you might expect. One of the obstacles that may come between you and your benefits is the suggestion that your injury or condition is idiopathic in nature. Idiopathic conditions arise spontaneously or without a known cause. This is the case in situations where a worker has a seizure, a stroke, a heart attack, a sudden knee condition, or any other medical event or situation that is not related to work. However, having an idiopathic condition does not always bar you from recovering workers’ compensation benefits.
For instance, if you faint without any work related cause, then this is an idiopathic condition or event. Yet, if you hit your head on a machine that you use for work, you might be able to get workers’ compensation benefits for the head injury anyway. There is a good chance that your claim will be denied based on the idiopathic nature of the event, but you may be able to fight this decision and successfully recover compensation with the help of an experienced workers’ compensation attorney.
It is Up to the Injured Worker to Prove their Injury is Work Related in Spartanburg, SC
When it comes to idiopathic conditions and whether or not they are covered by workers’ compensation benefits in
Spartanburg, South Carolina, many cases are determined based on the smallest of details. It is up to the worker to prove that the injury is related to their work conditions. One example of a case where the worker failed to do this is the case of a woman who was at work, sitting at a desk, when she stood up and sustained a sudden injury. She stood to allow another worker to use the desk, but when she stood, her knee gave out. Her workers’ compensation claim was initially approved as the injury had occurred at work. Yet, the employer appealed, expressing that the injury was idiopathic in nature.
Here, it was up to the worker to prove that her condition was work related. She attempted to do so by stating that she would not have stood up if she had not been requested to do so by someone else who needed to use the desk at work. Unfortunately for the worker, this argument was not successful, and it was determined that her injury was not work related. Of course, the case could just as easily have gone the other way, perhaps with a more convincing argument based on the same facts.
Each workers’ compensation claim is unique and may hinge on the minor details and the major arguments of a Spartanburg, South Carolina, workers’ compensation attorney. You want to work with a lawyer who has experience dealing with idiopathic conditions, and who knows how to present the best argument to help you recover the workers’ compensation benefits that you need for medical treatment and lost wages.
Other Workers’ Compensation Cases Involving Idiopathic Conditions and Work Injuries
It is unwise to assume that you are not eligible for workers’ compensation benefits after a work injury that involved an idiopathic condition. There are many cases where workers can still receive the benefits that they need because the circumstances. On example of such a case was a worker who had epilepsy and suffered from a seizure at work. If the worker had hit his head on the floor, then this would have been considered idiopathic in nature. The epilepsy caused the seizure, not work, and all environments have floors. Yet, in this case the worker hit his head on a machine that was used for work. If the seizure had occurred at home, the machine would not have been there. The machine was unique to the work environment. Thus, the worker hitting his head on the machine made the incident work related, in spite of the fact that the epilepsy was not work related. The same would have been true if the worker had fallen from a work related height while having a seizure, or if he fell into a pit that was a part of the work environment (like pits used to work on heavy equipment from below).
Other common examples of idiopathic conditions that are not work related include things like knee injuries, back injuries, and repetitive motion injuries. Each of these may be work related or they may be idiopathic. It is possible to injure your knee at work or back at work, but it is also possible for your employer to argue that the injury was caused by a pre-existing condition, an idiopathic condition, or something else entirely. It is up to the worker to prove that this is not the case, and that the injury really is work related. In some cases, you can prove this even if the injury is also idiopathic. If you have a knee condition, then you could sustain a knee injury by standing, as the woman in the example above, but you could also sustain an injury in which an object falls on or crushes your knee, regardless of whether or not you also had an idiopathic condition.
Learn More About Idiopathic Conditions by Contacting Double Aught Injury Lawyers Spartanburg Workers’ Comp Attorneys
Because every case is different, and there are unique details and arguments that can be made, it is wise to contact a Spartanburg, South Carolina, workers’ compensation attorney for advice. Double Aught Injury Lawyers will provide a FREE consultation and answer any questions you may have about the work related injury and whether or not an idiopathic condition could throw off your claim. Remember that many of these cases hinge on the little details and the strength of your argument concerning whether or not your injury is truly a work related injury. Call today to learn more.