There are a lot of things to consider if you are injured in a work accident. Even a minor injury can cause a lot of pain, not to mention that it can force you to miss work while you recover. Some injuries also require future treatment. In the event of a work-related injury, employees are entitled to workers’ compensation.
A unique Pennsylvania workers’ compensation case has reached the federal courts. A former NFL player, Kendall Newson, filed a workers’ compensation case in Pennsylvania after he sustained a knee injury at the football stadium in Pittsburgh during a preseason game. Now his former NFL team has filed a lawsuit in federal courts asking that the football player’s case be stopped.
Typically, NFL teams will invoke arbitration if one of their players gets injured and files a workers’ compensation case. However, Newson’s workers’ compensation claim may not get resolved through arbitration because of a possible NFL lockout. As a result, Newson wants his claim to be decided in the workers’ compensation court instead.
If the workers’ compensation claim moves forward in Pennsylvania, Newson would be entitled to payments that are slightly higher than ones he would get in Florida, where his team is located.
For Newson, the injury he sustained during the preseason game was what ended his three-year football career. After that, he has tried keeping a job, but found it difficult due to his knee injury. Instead, he spends a lot of time working with inner-city kids. Workers’ compensation would not only help him pay for medical expenses, but also help him afford his every day needs.
Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette online, “Federal judge asked to rule on NFL player’s injury case,” Rich Lord, 14 February 2011