Falls at work are common. Slippery work floors or trips over objects can result in a fall that lands you directly on your knees. It is this direct contact that can result in the fracture or break of your patella. Your kneecap is an essential part of your ability to bend and straighten your leg. During a fall, the direct impact on your kneecap can cause trauma and serious pain, leaving you unable to continue working your regular duties.
In addition to everyday falls, you can suffer other kinds of direct trauma to the knee similar to falls. This direct trauma can occur when you bang your knee into a filing cabinet or when it is hit into a shelving unit. Any kind of direct impact can result in fractures and breaks to the bone or to the surrounding tendons and ligaments.
Many of these slips and falls at work can be the result of negligence on the part of management or a co-worker. In environments where slippery floors are common, there needs to be safety measures in place such as spill cleanup procedures and warning signs. Without such safety protocol, unexpected falls can lead to broken kneecaps and loss of time at work.
If you have fallen at work, you may not experience pain right away. It can take a day or more to see swelling and feel pain associated with your knee injury. If the pain is sudden and acute, you may have a break or fracture that needs medical intervention right away. Surgery may be required but a break or fracture may require a brace or a cast to promote healing.
Your loss of mobility after a fall can make it impossible to return to work until your kneecap has healed. This will mean a loss of wages that you need to cover medical expenses. It is important to speak with a qualified attorney about a potential workers compensation claim. Contact our office toll free at 888-799-3918 or use our online contact form for further information.
