Harrisonburg Workers’ Compensation
For nearly 50 years, the Ritchie Law Firm has been helping injured workers’ with their Virginia workers’ compensation claims. Your workers’ comp team at the Ritchie Law Firm focuses on getting you the best medical treatment to help you heal from your injuries and getting you the compensation you deserve.
Factory Worker Case Study
One example of the workers’ comp cases we’ve handled is a claim for a lady who worked for Rockingham County, Virginia, local poultry plant. She had worked on the factory line for several years. On the day of her injury, she was walking on the plant floor, slipped on grease, and rolled her ankle. A co-worker caught her and prevented her from falling.
Within an hour of the incident, the injured worker began experiencing excruciating pain in her ankle. She reported the incident to the plant nurse, who sent her to an urgent care facility in Harrisonburg. The urgent care facility served as the “company doctor.” As she was on her way to urgent care, the company nurse called ahead and faxed a document telling the doctors that the lady had not fallen during the incident and that they thought she was faking.
When she was seen by urgent care, the doctor on duty documented that he didn’t see a scratch on the ankle or foot. He also indicated that he thought her complaints of pain were out of proportion to her injury. The injured worker continued to follow the instructions of her employer and continued to treat at the urgent care facility and the local emergency room. She was having excruciating ankle pain, but no physician believed she had sustained an actual injury. She asked for a new doctor, but her request was denied.
Getting the right medical treatment
While the injured lady was seeking treatment from urgent care and the ER, her ankle began to contract and her foot started to turn in. When she sought representation from the Ritchie Law Firm, we were able to fight the insurance company to get her to another doctor. Our firm got her to a pain management specialist who immediately diagnosed her with CRPS — complex regional pain syndrome.
This doctor wrote a letter to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission citing a medical journal article on CRPS. The article offered examples of patients diagnosed with CRPS who had sustained seemingly simple injuries with no evidence of bruising or more serious damage. The article supported the worker’s claims of excruciating pain after a simple mechanical injury. The injured worker’s doctor also stated in the letter that if the workers’ comp insurance company would not have delayed, he may have been able to save the worker’s foot. But, since the insurance company refused to give her a new doctor and the proper medical treatment, she may lose the bottom part of her leg. The worker’s injury continues to progress and she is now having symptoms in her other foot and leg.
Insurance company battles
The workers’ comp insurance company has fought this worker every step of the way. She has battled to be allowed to see another doctor and to get her compensation benefits. The worker’s doctor recommended that she get Botox injections, and the insurance company fought that as well. Recently, the doctor ordered a wheelchair for her, which the insurance company also fought. Our firm has been able to win benefits, medical treatment, and the cost of medical supplies for this worker. We might be able to help you too.
Your Harrisonburg Workers’ Compensation Team
If you are injured on the job, your employer may tell you that they will take care of you and everything will work out fine. But, this may or may not be the case. When you are faced with a work injury, it is often best to at least get some advice from a lawyer to make sure you don’t encounter problems down the road. Having your case evaluated by one of our Virginia Workers’ Compensation lawyers is free. If you want us to handle your case, there is no fee unless we win for you.
At the Ritchie Law Firm, we only handle cases involving injured people. Workers’ compensation claims are complex and require an attorney who understands the system. A general practice lawyer who doesn’t deal with workers’ comp on a daily basis is not likely to have the experience necessary to provide the best representation.
Our workers’ comp team at the Ritchie Law Firm is happy to sit down with you and talk with you to see if you have a claim that needs to have an attorney involved. It doesn’t cost anything to talk with us. We may give you information to help you handle your claim on your own. We have a wealth of information and resources available to us, and we’re always happy to share. Give us a call today at 800-277-6124 for your NO STRINGS ATTACHED conversation with our workers’ comp. lawyers. We handle Virginia Workers’ Compensation cases out of our offices in Harrisonburg, Winchester, Charlottesville, and Staunton, Va. Or, if you just want to test the waters first, get some more information by filling out the form below. We look forward to working with you.
