When stories about Pittsburgh industrial accidents are reported on in the press, there is usually not much information provided other than what happened in the accident, who was injured and what the status of the victims is. There often isn't much more to go on, and the fate of the injured workers in the weeks and months to come isn't often newsworthy, as far as media outlets are concerned.
However, for the people involved in these accidents and their families, the story doesn't just go away. Due to their nature, accidents in industrial or construction settings can be catastrophic, and those workers who are lucky enough to survive may be left with lifelong injuries.
A recent story described the aftermath of a worker who was injured in a September accident in Montana. The man was installing barriers on an interstate highway when a strap holding an I-beam in place suddenly broke. The giant beam fell onto his head, severely cracking his skull, injuring his brain and crushing his spinal cord; his survival was uncertain. Now, after a multitude of surgeries, the man is home again, living with his parents; however, he is paraplegic and is confined to a wheelchair.
The injured worker has nothing but good things to say about the construction company he worked for; representatives from the company visited the hospital frequently, and the man collected workers' compensation benefits. However, the family still has many medical bills to take care of. Attorneys experienced in workplace accident cases can be valuable resources for people who have been injured on the job.
Source: Missoulian, "25-year-old paralyzed, nearly killed in construction accident returns to Ronan to continue rehabilitation," Vince Devlin, March 30, 2014
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