The short answer to this question is no. While personal injury claimants can argue that due to their injury they have lost the ability to enjoy life’s activities and other damages, workers’ compensation claims are entirely economic.
An experienced Connecticut workers’ compensation attorney will guide you through the process of understanding what damages you can and cannot expect when filing your claim. The one set of damages that are most often associated with a claim are loss of wages. This is the economic value of the wages that you would have received during your time away from the job due to injury.
There are other damages that can be collected due to an injury on the job that aren’t necessarily tied to the fact that you aren’t working due to the injury. For example, medical expenses can be recovered when a claim is filed. If, due to your injury at work, you had to seek medical attention for any reason, these bills can be compensated.
Another way to receive compensation in this type of case is additional benefits associated with the loss of earning potential. After a year you will be assigned a permanency rating which will enable you to recover a certain number of additional weeks of benefits.
If your injury is so severe that you are unable to work again you can claim permanent total benefits which are difficult to recover, but with a board certified workers’ compensation attorney on your side, you will have the expertise you need to recover this type of benefit.
While the damages you can seek in a workers’ compensation claim seem narrower than those that you are able to recover in a personal injury case, a good attorney can help protect your long term interests and get you the compensation you deserve.
