What Can I Do if I Lost My Eyesight in a Work Accident?

 Posted on April 09,2024 in Workers' Compensation

Few of us ever have the chance to think about how our lives would be different if we lost vision in one or both eyes. But for others, accidents at work cause eye injuries that result in full or partial vision loss, triggering major life changes.

Not being able to see does not only mean the loss of sight itself; it often means losing the ability to do the things you love. Everyday activities become much harder, and other things - like driving, cooking, and doing certain sports - may become impossible. In situations like this, it is absolutely essential that injured people get the help they need. And when this means ensuring that California Workers’ Compensation pays out a full and fair compensation, the attorneys with Cramer + Martinez are here to help.

Jobs that Frequently Result in Vision Loss

According to a study cited by the CDC, there were about 118,000 eye-related work injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms in the United States in 2019. With these injuries being so widespread, it can be useful to know what types of jobs have an especially high risk for eye injuries, which include:

• Construction work
• Manufacturing
• Healthcare
• Car repairs

In addition to the above list, there are also jobs that pose an especially high risk of eye strain, such as:

• Driving
• Software programming and development
• Writing and editing

What Happens if You Lose Vision at Work? 

In most cases, when an employee suffers a workplace injury, they are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. The specific benefits can include medical care, temporary disability benefits, permanent disability benefits, supplemental job displacement benefits, and death benefits.

There are four main criteria to be eligible for workers’ comp:

• You need to be an employee.
• Your employer needs to have workers’ comp insurance.
• Your injury needs to be work-related.
• You need to file your claim within a specific amount of time.

In some cases, you might receive a workers’ comp settlement offer that is much lower than you were expecting and might be insufficient for all the expenses resulting from your injury. If that happens, you can file something called an application for adjudication of claim, in other words, a request to appeal the offer. In such situations, an experienced lawyer can review your specific case and offer tailored guidance.

Contact a Hollister, CA Workers’ Comp Lawyer

If you or a loved one suffered vision loss in a workplace accident, you already know how difficult these injuries can make the most basic everyday activities. That is where an experienced San Benito County, CA workers’ comp attorney comes in. At Cramer + Martinez, we believe people hurt in workplace accidents deserve fair compensation and a chance at moving forward in the future. We fight hard for each and every client to make sure he or she gets the maximum benefits to which they are entitled. Call 408-848-1113 now to get started.