Despite efforts by organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Students Against Drunk Driving (SADD), drunk driving and driving under the influence (DUI) remains a huge problem in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Many school districts have implemented educational programs to specifically target the problem. These programs are designed to educate our youth about the dangers of driving while… Read more »
Jodi suffered a work injury to her neck which required surgery. Despite ongoing care that included physical therapy, Jodi’s neck remained symptomatic and precluded her from returning to work and she continued to collect workers compensation benefits. Unfortunately for Jodi, she had trouble filling in her idle time away from work and fell in with a… Read more »
Motor vehicle accidents involving pedestrians often result in catastrophic or fatal injuries. Tragically, most of these accidents could easily be avoided if both the pedestrian and the motor vehicle operator were more aware of and observant of their surroundings. For example, pedestrians should only cross roadways and parking lots using designated cross-walks (where available). Obviously,… Read more »
Question: I work in machine shop. It’s very loud. Lately, I’ve noticed that I sometimes have to ask people to repeat themselves when they are talking to me. If I do have a hearing problem, can I collect something from workers comp? Anonymous, Tunkhannock, Pa. Answer: Work-related hearing loss is compensable. You should get in… Read more »
May is National Bicycle Safety Awareness Month. Every year hundreds of bicyclists are injured or killed due to the negligence and carelessness of drivers who refuse to share the road. Most if not all of these accidents could be avoided if motor vehicle drivers would simply be more aware and observant of the bicyclists on the roadway. … Read more »
Dwight suffered a work injury to his low back while employed with Carter Strawberry Company. Fortunately, Dwight received excellent medical care from Dr. Hernandez and he was released to return to work with light duty lifting restrictions. Dr. Hernandez also prescribed an eight week course of physical therapy at Shea Therapy to assist in Dwight’s recovery…. Read more »
All roadways are posted with maximum speed limits. The maximum speed limits are determined from engineering studies and analysis of safe driving speeds. Several factors go into the determination, including the road width, curvature and surface composition, the presence of intersecting roadways, and the anticipated amount of traffic & pedestrian volume. However, despite most driver’s general knowledge and… Read more »
Question: I was injured on the job and received workers comp. I just came back to work on light duty. I’m not making as much now as I was when I got injured. Is the comp carrier going to make up the difference? Anonymous, Hazleton, Pa. Answer: If an injured worker (the “claimant”) returns to… Read more »
Proving a work related disability under the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act requires competent unequivocal medical testimony. The medical evidence must establish that the employee is unable of performing the time-of-injury job. Any competent medical opinion evidence must be rendered within a reasonable degree of medical certainty. This requires more than guesses or probabilities. If you… Read more »
What is the definition of “injury” within the Pennsylvania Workers Compensation Act? The Act allows compensation for “an injury to an employee, regardless of his previous physical condition, arising in the course of his employment and related thereto…”. This can include an aggravation of prior or pre-existing condition. It can also apply to either physical or… Read more »
