Nothing can be more challenging in life than losing your ability to work due to an injury that you encountered in the workplace or from a work-related disease. The thought of not being able to perform at your best capacity or not being able to work at all can exert a toll on your mind, body, and spirit. Many studies have found the number of work-related disabilities to be high.
In legal terms, there are two major types of permanent disability. These are the permanent partial and permanent total disability. Both of them can be very debilitating and will obviously affect your quality of life in various ways. Below, we seek to further distinguish between these two kinds of disabilities and shed more light on the various kinds of injuries that could cause permanent disability as a whole.
The Two Types of Permanent Disability
Permanent Partial Disability
Referred to as PPD in short form, this is the kind of disability where one is not totally disabled but they’re left with a lasting impairment. Most employees who suffer from this may or may not be required to return to work. If they return to work, the law may require that they are given a less demanding type of job or that their tasks be modified to accommodate the disability.
Permanent Total Disability
Also known as PTD in short, this is the kind of disability that permanently prevents the sufferer from working at all.
When suffering from an injury that could result in either partial or total permanent disability, you may be entitled to compensation, especially if the injury or accident occurred at your workplace out of another person’s negligence. However, compensation cases for PTD may require your long-term disability attorney to gather a lot of evidence to persuade your insurer, employer, or the jury in case it goes to court. Nonetheless, here are some common injuries that could result in permanent disability.
Common Permanent Disability Injuries
1. Injuries That Lead To Amputation
Especially for workers in highly-demanding manual work sectors such as construction and the manufacturing industries, work-related injuries can be severe in such a way that they end up costing the victim an arm, a leg, or both. This could happen at the site of the accident or during treatment where the limb(s) has to be amputated. Losing both hands or feet could result in complete inability to work and could warrant for permanent total disability compensation.
2. Visual Loss
Losing your eyesight could affect you in possibly hundreds, if not thousands of ways. Partial disability is where you lose one eye, whereas total disability implies the loss of both.
3. Hearing Loss
Especially in industries associated with so much noise in the work environment, it is not uncommon to lose your hearing. Some workplace accidents could also result in the same. Needless to say, hearing loss is in most cases, irreversible.
4. Back Injuries
Back injuries are by far the most common work-related injuries that result in your inability to work or worse, paralysis and long-term disability. They may be caused by high-impact falls, heavy lifting, and many other work-related causes.
5. Job-Related Diseases and Conditions
These may not qualify as injuries, but permanent partial and permanent total disability could also occur as a result of diseases acquired at the work environment. Some common occupational diseases that lead to disability may include cancer, heart disease, depression, arthritis, back pain, and PTSD among many others.
In summary, there are many causes of permanent disability, especially personal injuries acquired at work. It is important to seek legal counsel as soon as you’re involved in a workplace accident just in case it renders you unable to return to work. They can help you seek compensation or even represent you in court in case it comes to that.
Comments