Leg injuries come in a variety of forms, especially in workers’ compensation. This is because what constitutes a “leg” under the law is quite broad. Everything from the hip to just above the ankle is considered part of the leg. Therefore, knee and hip injuries are considered part of the leg, but ankle injuries are considered part of the foot. This distinction matters because the law places a higher monetary value on the leg than it does the foot.
Leg injuries can be severe, such as a broken femur (thigh bone), or a fractured fibula (lower leg bone between knee and ankle), or a torn ligament in the knee. However, even leg injuries that are not as severe, such as a sprain or contusion, are still worth filing a workers’ compensation claim for. This is especially true if the injury causes you to miss time from work or receive medical treatment such as physical therapy.
The value of a leg injury will be determined by the facts of an individual case. This includes consideration of not only the severity of injury and the amount of medical treatment required, but also the average weekly wage of the particular injured worker. Below are examples of the average value of leg injuries over an 18 month period in 2011-12, as reported by the Comp Pinkbook.
Value of Workers’ Compensation Leg Injuries
The average award of permanent partial disability (“PPD”) benefits for leg injuries was $16,558. However, in claims involving multiple body parts (which is extremely common), the average value of a case has the potential to go up. For example, the average PPD award for leg and lower back injuries was $31,993.
According to the Pinkbook, the highest PPD award for a leg injury between January 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012 was $267,120. The highest settlement for a leg injury was $215,000. Obviously, this is much higher than the average case, and almost certainly had to include some sort of catastrophic injury to the leg.
Contact a Great Baltimore Workers’ Compensation Attorney Now!
If you have been hurt on the job you need to protect your rights. Even if you have been handling your case yourself and have not had any issues, you have nothing to lose by at least giving me a call and having a conversation. There is no charge for my time and there is a great chance that I will be able to tell you something that you should (but don’t) know. Feel free to call my direct dial at 443-450-3899 or email me at matt.grogan@warnkenlaw.com.
