Wrist Injury Settlement Amounts: A Workers’ Comp Guide
Wrist injuries are some of the most common workplace injuries. If you had an accident at work and suffered an injury, you may be entitled to workers compensation for wrist injury. But how do you calculate the value of it?
A wrist injury may occur in any type of job. You may be a factory worker, a nurse, an office manager, a cook, or any other type of worker – our wrists are fragile, often overused, and unfortunately, easily damaged at work.
Carrying heavy loads, twisting a wrist, or simply using it too much – all of those factors may contribute to your needing a workers comp settlement for wrist injuries. You may be wondering how that injury might impact the value of court awardyou might receive.
Of course, to know the exact amount, you would need to consult a professional – and even then you won’t know until you receive your settlement. However, if you want to have a general idea, we are here to help.
To begin with, let’s discuss some of the most common wrist injuries.
Common Workplace Wrist Injuries
Wrist injuries vary by type and severity. Some of them do not take long to heal and allow you to keep working without putting too much pressure on the damaged wrist. Some of them, the most severe ones, require surgery, physical therapy, and even missed work.
Some of the most common injuries include:
- fractures – these may affect the ulna or other broken bones
- repetitive movement injuries, such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or tendinitis
- torn or stretched ligaments, also known as sprains, which are typically classified from Grade I through Grade III, which stands for a completely torn ligament
These types of injuries can affect anyone, and if left untreated, have lasting effects on your life. This is why it’s important that you work with professionals when trying to get your workers compensation for wrist injury.
Wrist Injury Settlement Amounts: What Affects Your Payout
To give you an idea of the types of settlements that really took place, here is a short list of them.
- $155,000 settlement for a plaintiff who suffered a wrist fracture which required reconstructive surgery.
- $250,000 settlement for a severe wrist fracture that required surgical repair – in this case, it was an uninsured motorist claim.
- $500,000 verdict for a plaintiff police officer. The officer slipped and fell on municipal property. The resulting surgery was not enough – the symptoms were likely to prevail.
How a Broken Wrist Workers’ Comp Settlement Is Calculated
“Valuing” a case means guessing the value of the settlement a jury might agree to. These amounts vary due to the severity of injury and other factors, such as which side is to blame for the resulting injury.
There is also the question of agreeing to settle outside of trial, and the amount each side might be willing to pay.
This is not something you should have to deal with by yourself. For a professional, figuring out the ins and outs of company settlement law is easy. If you want guidance as well as the best possible settlement, contact Just Work Comp Law today.
How Much Will I Get for a Broken Wrist Settlement?
There is no flat amount for a broken wrist under Utah workers’ comp, because every claim is built from your own numbers. The payout is a combination of your medical bills (if any are unpaid), the temporary disability benefits (lost wages) you were owed while you could not work, and a permanent partial disability award based on the impairment rating your doctor assigns once your wrist reaches maximum medical improvement.
That means two people with the “same” broken wrist can recover very different amounts. A wrist that heals cleanly and leaves no lasting limitation will be worth far less than one that ends in chronic stiffness, lost grip strength, nerve damage, or a permanent work restriction. The best way to understand your realistic range is to have a Utah workers’ comp attorney review your impairment rating and wage records.
Average Workers’ Comp Settlement for a Wrist Injury
The plaintiff—also known as the person who is suing for a wrist injury—often wants to estimate how much they might receive. It is difficult for one key reason: if the case goes to trial, it will most likely be decided by a jury. The jury will decide how much money the defendant (the person being sued) will pay the plaintiff.
Damages such as medical bills and lost wages are rather easy to predict because they are based on your actual earnings as well as the amount of money you had to spend in medical bills. They also depend on the amount of money you will continue to pay due to the injury you have suffered.
Less concrete damages, such as compensation for your pain and suffering, are more difficult to estimate. It comes down to your own individual experiences in dealing with the injury, and no one can predict that.
As an example, a very active person who loved sports and outdoor activities, but has now suffered a partially disabling wrist injury, will likely receive higher amounts simply due to the “loss of quality of life”. If the plaintiff was rather inactive prior to the injury, they may expect less.
If the plaintiff suffered a wrist-related injury in the past that was not caused by their line of work, their damages may also go down, as an injury often makes the patient more susceptible to further damage.
On the other hand, if the injury permanently or temporarily prevents the plaintiff from making a living, the defendant may be sued for the full extent of lost wages or diminished earning capacity.
Workers’ Comp Benefits for a Wrist Injury in Utah
A wrist injury caused by work is often only paid out by the workers compensation carrier. In this case, if you are not left disabled by the injury and you did not require surgery, the payments may not be very high.
Filing a Wrist Injury Workers’ Comp Claim in Utah
Report your wrist injury to your employer as soon as possible and seek medical treatment right away. If your employer sends you to a preferred medical provider, then you must see that provider at least one time. In Utah, your employer notifies its workers’ comp insurer, who then will contact you about your injury. Keep records of every appointment, and medical restrictions because these directly affect what your claim is worth.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single average because settlements depend on your impairment rating, lost wages, and future care. A minor fracture that heals well settles for far less than a wrist with permanent loss of motion or nerve damage.
Your payout reflects your medical costs (if any are unpaid by workers comp), the disability benefits owed while you recovered, and any permanent impairment to the wrist. A workers’ comp attorney can review your impairment rating and wage records to estimate a realistic range.
Yes, torn wrist ligaments are covered under workers’ comp if the injury happened at work. Because ligament tears can cause lasting instability and require surgery, they often carry a higher impairment rating than a simple fracture.
Utah workers’ comp is no-fault, so you do not have to prove anyone was negligent. If you slipped and fell on the job and broke your wrist, you are generally entitled to medical care and disability benefits regardless of how the fall happened.
Some claims settle after you reach maximum medical improvement, because that is when your permanent impairment can be measured. Depending on treatment and any disputes, this can take several months to over a year.
Talk to a Utah Workers’ Comp Attorney About Your Wrist Injury
You deserve the best settlement for your wrist injury, and that requires working with true professionals in the field.
We are experts in workers comp settlements, with hundreds of clients that have received the settlements they deserved. Your health and your future are on the line—don’t wait or hope for the best, because you need to be properly represented today.
If you need help with your workers compensation settlement, contact us today at Just Work Comp Law.
Related Articles
- Reporting Your Workplace Injury to Your Employer in Utah
- What Does Workers’ Compensation Cover in Utah?
- Utah Workers’ Compensation Guide to Benefits
- Utah Workers’ Comp Denied? 6 Reasons & How to Appeal
- A Crash Course In Utah’s Lost Wage Compensation Laws
Injured on the job? Learn how our team handles Utah work injury claims, or request a free consultation.
Mark Sanchez
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*The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only.