Everyday living can take a toll on your knees, and depending on the type of work you do, this can include a lot of the activities that you do for your job. For sure, broken kneecaps, twisted knees, torn ligaments (MCL, ACL, etc.) and meniscus tears are never easy one anybody. If you suffer an injury to your knees due to your employment, you need to make sure that you get the benefits to which you are entitled under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act.
Injury to the knee is one of the most common injuries in the workplace. For instance, a slip-and-fall can result in a broken kneecap or a twisted knee, or it might even result in torn cartilage and a meniscus tear, all of which might result in long-term disability. That said, knee injury victims need proper medical care and suitable recovery time if they ever hope to recover any level of knee functioning.
Workers’ Comp and the Pre-Existing Condition Claim
Quite often, workers’ compensation insurance companies attempt to avoid paying for medical care and benefits by claiming that a person’s knee injury was the result of a pre-existing condition (like arthritis) or the natural aging process. Although the existence of a pre-existing condition doesn’t necessarily keep an injured worker from obtaining workers’ compensation benefits, it can limit the benefits that he or she does get.
Your Entitlement
If you suffer a knee injury while on the job, you should be aware that you are entitled to receive medical treatment, knee surgery, rehabilitation, wage compensation, and disability, even if you had a pre-existing condition or nobody saw the accident that caused your knee injury. Also note that you have 45 days from the date of your injury to let someone from management at your place of employment know about your injury.
Get a Good Lawyer to Help You
As stated above, the workers’ compensation insurance company will do everything in its power to make sure that it doesn’t have to pay you the just compensation that you’re entitled to. That is why it is important for you to hire an attorney who is familiar with the rights of knee injury victims. If you have suffered a knee injury and you need to speak with a Decatur personal injury attorney, please contact John Cannon at 1-800-373-6050 for a free consultation.