Harrisburg Correction Officer Workers’ Compensation Lawyer
The half million correction officers, tasked with supervising roughly two-million inmates across the country, face a number of on the job hazards. The most serious hazard, of course, are the inmates themselves. Even with this 1:4 ratio of correction officers to inmates, correction officers are injured at four times the rate of the national average, according to research published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine. As a correction officer, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if you were injured on the job, and the Harrisburg correction officer workers’ compensation lawyers at Ira H. Weinstock, P.C. can help you file a claim today to ensure fair compensation for your damages.
Types of Injuries Correction Officers Commonly Face
- Inmate Assault—Being assaulted by an inmate can lead to serious head wounds, lacerations, concussion, broken bones, and even death.
- Inmate Contact—Breaking up a fight may not be an act of violence directed at you, the correction officer, but it and other instances when you make contact with inmates can lead to serious injuries.
- Slip and Fall—Falls are one of the most common types of injuries, and can happen anywhere at any time, whether there is an altercation or not.
- Motor Vehicle Collisions—Motor vehicle collisions can occur while transporting inmates, or simply on the premises parking lot.
- Struck-by Accidents—Being struck by an object, such as machinery, a tool, a door, or any other object can lead to serious fractures and TBIs.
- Overuse Injuries—Overuse injuries, also called repetitive strain injuries, are the leading type of injury in virtually every field of work, and correction officers are no exception.
- Overexertion—Overexertion injuries include lifting something heavy and throwing your back out, heat exhaustion, dehydration, and other bodily reaction injuries can cause workers to miss days or weeks of work, and they should be compensated for this forced time off.
Four Types of Wage Replacement Compensation
In addition to full medical coverage, workers’ compensation pays for up to two-thirds of an injured worker’s lost wages while they are out of work while recovering from their injuries (or who is permanently injured and can no longer fulfill all or any of their normal duties). Depending on the severity of your injuries, and the duration they are expected to last, you may be eligible for one of the following types of wage replacement compensations:
- Temporary Partial;
- Temporary Total;
- Permanent Partial; and
- Permanent Total.
PTSD, Depression, and Suicide
Pennsylvania allows some employees (in certain cases) to receive benefits for non-physical injuries, such as PTSD, which is a good thing because 33 percent of retired correction officers end up with PTSD, according to ABC News. Correction officers injured in suicide attempts may also be eligible for workers’ compensation; sadly, correction officer suicide is at an all time high, and 31 percent of correction officers have suicidal thoughts.
Call a Harrisburg Correction Officer Workers’ Compensation Attorney
As an injured correction officer, you need to report your injury and file a workers’ compensation claim in a timely manner. Do not wait. Call the Harrisburg workers’ compensation lawyers at Ira H. Weinstock, P.C. today at 717-238-1657 to schedule a free consultation.
