Connecticut Personal Injury Blog

Most workers in Connecticut have some understanding of their rights under the state's workers' compensation system, but what they don't know may lead to costly errors in pursuing a claim for benefits.

The workers' compensation system is intended to provide important benefits for injured workers, but claimants must follow the rules in order to achieve maximum benefits. This post will review the crucial steps in filing a claim for workers' compensation benefits.

Any Connecticut resident who has stopped to watch construction workers on a large building has seen tower cranes and movable cranes lift extremely heavy loads. One might wonder what would happen if the load should come loose and fall to the ground. An incident in another state demonstrated the potentially tragic consequences of such an event.

A tower crane was being used to lift a load of steel beams at a building site. Shortly after the start of the work day, firefighters were called to the scene because two workers had been found underneath the beams, which had fallen from the crane. One of the men died later at a nearby hospital, and the other man was listed in critical condition. Firefighters helped the crane operator descend from the cab of the crane.

Connecticut has many older, obsolete buildings that are undergoing either extensive renovation or demolition. The workers on such jobs face unique risks because the work itself often weakens the structure. A recent accident in Stamford illustrates the nature of some of these risks.

A worker engaged in the renovation of a warehouse in west Stamford fell through a temporary skylight opening and later died from his injuries. The man was engaged in installing permanent coverings over several 4' x 4' skylights in the roof. Initial reports of the accident do not contain much information about its cause, but the comment of a police officer nevertheless gave a strong hint at a possible explanation. The officer also observed that, after looking at the scene of the accident, the temporary covering placed over the skylight was insufficient to support the victim's weight. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the accident, but it has not disclosed any of its findings.

The Connecticut workers' compensation system provides a claimant ample opportunity to appeal an adverse decision, but sometimes, the appeal can be unavailing. The case of a Norwalk police officer who was accidentally shot in a training exercise provides a sad example.

On September 5, 2017, the officer was participating in a training exercise with other officers when one of them accidentally shot him in the right arm. The bullet passed through the arm and into the rib cage. Since the incident, the officer has struggled with blood clots, a partial blockage of his heart and permanent nerve damage in his right hand. He has also had episodes of PTSD. Doctors recently informed that he will need a kidney transplant to ensure his long-term survival. Because the officer had suffered a workplace injury, he naturally filed a workers' compensation claim.