Permanent Injury in Worker’s Compensation Case Results in $117,500 Settlement

A social worker in Belleville, Illinois suffered personal injury in her employer’s parking lot while exiting a company vehicle. There was debris on the parking lot that should have been cleaned up and removed in a timely fashion, and this debris caused her to slip and fall on the parking lot, seriously injuring and fracturing her foot. The injury was so significant, the social worker was unable to work for two years after the incident, and had to endure multiple surgeries. In spite of the surgeries, the foot injury caused ongoing pain and difficulty walking. Permanent restrictions prevented the woman from returning to her previous job, although the employer offered her a less strenuous position. To make matters more complicated, the woman had broken a bone in the same foot a couple years prior to the on-the-job injury. The woman contacted Michael Knepper of the Sauter Sullivan law firm, who took on her workers’ compensation case. Knepper filed a claim on behalf of the client, and negotiated for a settlement based on the woman’s estimated future lost earning power, rather than on an injury specific to her foot, which would have been much lower under Illinois law. In the end, Knepper negotiated a $117,500 settlement as compensation for the client’s permanent injury.