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Workers Suffering From Brain Injuries Deserve Equal Compensation Rights

By Jim Lewis

You're better off dying than suffering a brain injury in the state of Virginia (VA). This is the opinion shared by State Sen. Richard Stuart and many others, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

A heart-wrenching example is Art Pierce, a truck driver who, in 2006, suffered a traumatic brain injury in Stafford, Virginia (VA). His family, including his wife Claire Pierce, believes he suffered the injury after falling from a dump truck he was trying to fix, but no one saw him fall and Art was unable to testify at a hearing.

He never recovered from the injury and died in 2008.

Workers' compensation claims made on behalf of workers who die of other on-the-job injuries are routinely given the benefit of the doubt in hearings and other proceedings.

This is completely unfair and imbalanced. A traumatic brain injury can leave a person incapacitated for years and/or eventually lead to death, just like what happened to Art Pierce. The families of these individuals deserve equal compensation. Art Pierce's family deserves compensation. The law needs to change.

Unfortunately, SB821, the bill focused on changing the current law was defeated due to special interests and lobbyists for insurance companies and other business groups.

Our firm has battled with insurance companies and business groups aiming to deny proper compensation for brain injuries and related head trauma. As a personal injury lawyer focused on ensuring brain injury victims receive proper compensation, I recently attended the 2009 Litigation Strategies Seminar put on by the Brain Injury Association of America in Las Vegas, Nevada. Because our firm regularly goes to the best attorney conferences, we are aware of the latest medical science and trial tactics to get maximum compensation for our clients who have suffered a blow to the head or a cracked skull in car and truck accidents.

We're proud to have a track record of success in cases like these. For example, our firm won the largest personal injury verdict in Virginia (VA) history and the case revolved around an individual who suffered a traumatic brain injury.

If politicians continue to shirk their responsibility to make the laws fair, we'll remain focused on keeping these companies honest by fighting them in the courtroom and ensuring justice to citizens afflicted with traumatic head injuries.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm is based in Virginia (VA), near the NE North Carolina (NC) border and handles car,truck,railroad, and medical negligence cases and more. Our lawyers proudly edit the Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono public information service. Lawyers licensed in: VA, NC, SC, WV, DC, KY.

PA

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Jim Lewis

Full post as published by Norfolk-Portsmouth Personal Injury Lawyer on May 26, 2009 (boomark / email).