Workers' Compensation Blog Page 4 of 14

How Benefits Are Paid for Workers’ Compensation

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on April 05, 2018 in Workers' Compensation

The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act provides for medical expenses and wage loss payments if you cannot work due to an occupational illness or injury. These payments are generally made by private insurance companies. If you were injured while on the job or developed an illness because of your line of work, it is important that […]

How Occupational Diseases Qualify for Workers’ Compensation

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on March 08, 2018 in Workers' Compensation

While many people associate workers’ compensation with injuries that occur at work, these benefits can also apply to workers who contract a disease in their workplace. If you have lost time at work because of an illness you contracted while on the job, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Individuals who have worked […]

Workplace Hazards During Winter

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on January 25, 2018 in Workers' Compensation

Winter weather can create dangerous conditions when working outside. Workers may suffer serious injuries, including electrocution, fractures, strains, sprains, and other injuries and illnesses. The seasoned Harrisburg workers’ compensation attorneys at Schmidt Kramer are dedicated to protecting the rights of injured workers. We want to help you stay safe this winter by being aware of […]

Does Workers’ Compensation Cover a Car Accident While at Work?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on November 13, 2017 in Workers' Compensation

The main cause of work-related deaths in the U.S. is motor-vehicle accidents, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Thousands of workers are also injured in car accidents while working. If you were injured in a vehicle crash while performing work duties, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. The Harrisburg […]

I Was Injured at Work – Do I Have the Right to File a Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on October 24, 2017 in Workers' Compensation

Many workers assume that the only way to obtain compensation for an on-the-job injury is to file a workers’ compensation claim. In most cases, these workers are correct. However, there are times when the law allows an employee to file a personal injury lawsuit to attempt to recover compensation for a workplace injury. The Harrisburg […]

What To Do if Your Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Claim is Denied

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on September 22, 2017 in Workers' Compensation

There is no guarantee that your workers’ compensation claim will be approved. Sometimes perfectly legitimate claims that should be covered by the workers’ compensation system are denied. You can file an appeal, but the process can be intimidating and confusing if you are not familiar with Pennsylvania’s workers’ compensation system. That is why you should […]

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Strikes Down Part of Workers’ Compensation Law

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on July 14, 2017 in Workers' Compensation

In a 6-1 ruling last month, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court struck down a section of the state’s workers’ compensation law that allowed insurance companies to stop paying benefits to injured workers after a certain amount of time had passed. This section of the law was added in 1996 and allowed workers’ compensation insurance companies to […]

Types of Benefits for Injured Workers

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on February 10, 2017 in Workers' Compensation

Pennsylvania workers who have been injured on-the-job are entitled to receive workers’ compensation benefits for any disabling condition or injury. The Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation Act enables workers to receive compensation for any medical expenses and lost wages for an injury or illness that is work-related until they can return to work. It also provides death […]

Susquehanna Supply Company Inc. Named ‘Severe Violator’ by OSHA after Fatality

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on January 14, 2016 in Workers' Compensation

The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating Susquehanna Supply Company Inc. in Williamsport for endangering the life of a man who died while working on a bridge repair in July 2015. First responders were called to the construction scene of the embankment collapse where a 37-year-old employee from Unityville was pinned inside a trench. The […]

Are Injured Employees Shouldering the Cost of Hazardous Workplaces? OSHA Says “Yes” in Its Latest Report

Posted on behalf of Schmidt Kramer on May 14, 2015 in Workers' Compensation

When a regular household finds that their costs are rising, perhaps on heating their home, their first instinct is to find the cause. The homeowner may investigate and find that their windows are old and drafty. Rather than save money by not using their heat at all or searching for a cheaper furnace, they fix […]

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$10,043,952.13 Personal Injury
Schmidt Kramer, P.C.partner Gerard C. Kramer won a personal injury action for $10,043,952.13 in Northumberland County on behalf of a volunteer firefighter who was the victim of Intentional Tort. The 50-year-old volunteer firefighter was seriously injured when a barn collapsed, causing a spinal injury which left him a paraplegic. The claim was brought against the arsonist who intentionally started the fire. It is believed that the verdict is the highest ever in Northumberland County.
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$4,034,000.00 Personal Injury
Yesterday a Judge in Union County (Lewisburg, PA) awarded a couple from New Berlin, Pennsylvania, over $4,000,000 because the husband was shot while turkey hunting.You might ask yourself, how does a turkey hunting accident end up with that type of verdict? In order to understand the verdict you would have to know our clients. They are good people who had their life wrecked. Plus, you would have to know the defendant, who should not have been hunting with a gun because he was prohibited after a previous criminal conviction.It is a good verdict, because the Judge was able to do two things with his decision. First, he communicated to two very good people that their losses were something that those of us on the outside could appreciate and value. Mike Hobbins (our client) is a 51 year old guy who lost his sight because a convicted felon --who should not have even possessed a gun-- went hunting illegally, and broke with impunity the most fundamental rule in hunting: identify your target before you pull the trigger. The Judge accepted the financial loss Mr. Hobbins' suffered, but listened closely to the evidence of less tangible losses. When Mike broke down on the stand, because his daughter would end up walking him down the aisle at her wedding, as opposed to how it was supposed to go, the Judge was listening. When Mike could not keep it together, because of how emasculating it was for him not to be able to provide financially for his family, the Judge was listening. It was facts like these that the Judge cited to support the $2,000,000 award for non-economic damages. Second, the Judge wanted to send a message. Union County is a hunting county. Many of the residents hunt there, and people from outside the area come to Union County to hunt. It was my impression, from the Judge's statements as he rendered his decision, that he wanted to send a message to the people in Union County to protect them in their sport. The rules in place to restrict people convicted of crimes not to have a gun are not to be broken. Hunting is serious and you have to identify your target before you shoot. When you turn your back on the rules that are set to provide safety in a sport, you risk being an example. Here, the $1,000,000 punitive damage award sends that message loud and clear.When it really comes down to brass tacks, the right action was taken against a Defendant who may never truly appreciate what kind of impact his reckless choices caused.At Schmidt Kramer, we are injury lawyers. That means we work with people who were hurt in car accidents, who were hurt by the neglect of nursing homes, or those that were seriously injured because of the reckless, thoughtless acts of others. If you or a loved one have been injured in Pennsylvania, we may be able to help. While the verdict yesterday is not one that is representative of every case we do, it does show that serious and dedicated representation can bring good results.Joe ChapmanJanuary 18, 2013
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$2,200,000.00 Auto Accidents
On Monday, January 6, 2014, Schmidt Kramer accident lawyer Scott Cooper obtained a verdict on behalf of his client who is the widow of a man who died in a fiery crash on Interstate 78 in Lebanon County. The awarded verdict of $2.2 million was in a nonjury proceeding before a federal judge in the Middle District of Pennsylvania. That verdict includes $100,000 in punitive damages assessed against the owner of the trucking company.Kamilah Claxton won summary judgment in November after the defendants, Sukhwinder Singh and the trucking company for which he worked, failed to file a brief in opposition to Claxton's motion, which was made in September. The verdict in Claxton v. Singh was issued after the court held a non-jury assessment of damages earlier this month."Mr. Sukhchan Singh, the employer, is liable on the basis of respondent superior, but was also grossly negligent in failing to maintain his vehicle in compliance with state and federal law, particularly with regard to having required safety inspections and correcting defects in its braking equipment," said U.S. District Judge William W. Caldwell of the Middle District of Pennsylvania in his opinion accompanying the verdict."He was also grossly negligent in entrusting his vehicle to Sukhwinder Singh, an inexperienced truck driver who had failed the written test and driving test multiple times before finally earning his commercial driving license," Caldwell said.
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$1,200,000.00 Personal Injury
A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy.2012-06-26 10:00:00 AMDate of Verdict: June 19. 2012Court and Case No.: C.P. Dauphin County No. 2009-CV-14003-MMJudge: Scott EvansType of Action: Medical malpracticeInjuries: Anoxic brain injuryPlaintiffs Counsel: Terry S. Hyman, Schmidt Kramer, HarrisburgPlaintiffs Experts: Dr. Anna H. Messner, liability; Lucille Packer, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Palo Alto, Calif.; Terry P. Leslie, vocations and earning capacity, Lancaster; Dr. Hilary B. Berlin, pediatric psychiatry, Great Neck, N.Y.Defense Counsel: Andrew H. Foulkrod, Darlene K. King, Foulkrod Ellis, Camp Hill, PADefense Experts: James C. Reilly, Pediatric Otolaryngology, Wilmington, DEComment: A Dauphin County jury has awarded a $1.2 million verdict to the parents of a 5-year-old who had an anoxic brain injury and stopped breathing after he had a tonsillectomy.The entire verdict came against Dr. Andrew M. Shapiro, the doctor who plaintiffs Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Metz alleged chose to have the boy monitored at a pediatric ward. The plaintiffs argued Shapiro failed to tell nurses caring for the baby about, and how to care for, the boy's enhanced risk for respiratory failure.The jury came back on June 19 and awarded Reginald Graham and Tykeisha Mets $500,000 in non-economic damages and $686,170 in loss of future earning capacity, according to the plaintiffs counsel.According to the statement, the baby's mother brought him to Shapiro because she was "'afraid that he might stop breathing during his sleep,'" the plaintiffs' pretrial statement said. Shapiro performed a sleep study and observed the baby's Apnea Hypopnea Index to be 43 — four times higher than what's considered severe. A tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were performed.According to the plaintiffs, the baby's sleep study results put him at an increased risk for post-operative respiratory complications. Despite this, they argued in the statement, Shapiro ordered the pediatric nurses at the Harrisburg Hospital general pediatric ward to observe the boy as they would any other patients — about once every four hours.The pretrial statement said that one in four children who have an AHI in the 40s and oxygen desaturation below 80 have some type of respiratory problem. The younger the child, the greater the risk of a respiratory problem, the statement said.According to the statement, Shapiro took off the child's pulse oximeter, the finger-mounted device used to measure blood oxygen, and ordered a heart and respiratory rate monitor. The child was 11 months old at the time.The plaintiffs pled that the baby was last seen at 4 a.m. There was no record of his oxygen saturation for the next hour and 45 minutes. He stopped breathing a 6:40 a.m., and his brain was without oxygen long enough to cause demonstrable injury on an MRI."Immediately prior to his surgery, [the child] was a normal child, who could say mama, eat finger foods, and was just on the verge of walking," the statement said. "After his code, [he] was like a newborn. He could not lift his head or sit up. He could not talk. He could not move."In his pretrial statement, Shapiro argued that he recognized the child's pre-operative sleep study showed he was driven to breath by decreased blood oxygen saturation, which he said was typical in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.He argued the American Academy of Otolaryngology dictates that admission to the intensive care unit is not the standard of care. In the statement, he said nurses did not observe signs of respiratory distress. No alarms sounded until the child arrested, the statement said.He said the baby likely arrested as a result of hypoglycemia and/or an acute aspiration, which he argued would not have been identified by blood oxygen saturation.— Ben Present, of the Law Weekly
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$1,024,040.80 Auto Accidents
Scott Cooper settled a wrongful death case on behalf of the widow of a police office who was killed in a car accident in the line of duty for $1,024,040.80. The claim against the other driver was amicably resolved before suit was filed for the entire available policy limits for the other driver. The case took place in Adams County, PA.
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Michael Kosik was great, I couldn't have asked for a better lawyer. He worked to make sure my medical bills were adjusted appropriately to state law (since I was a victim) and worked hard to make sure I got an appropriate settlement. He is a very kind and understanding person who took the time to explain everything to me in great detail.
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