Case Results

Our team of lawyers and our paralegal recently won a significant case in front of a Harrisburg WC Judge. The injured worker injured her right hand. The WC Insurance Company agreed to pay medical bills for the injury but refused to pay wage loss benefits. They then filed a Petition for Termination claiming that the injured worker was fully recovered and able to return to work based on a note from one of her treating doctors. We filed Claim and Penalty Petitions alleging the injured worker sustained a right-hand crush injury. We requested wage loss benefits for the injured worker and filed the Penalty Petition due to the Defendant’s violation of the WC Act.

Harry Nace (name changed for this summary) was injured when he broke his right ankle getting into his car to attend Defendant’s Christmas party/fundraiser in Wood, PA. SWIF, the workers’ compensation carrier for the employer, issued a Workers’ Compensation Denial on January 4, 2016, reporting that the injury did not occur within the scope of his employment. We subsequently filed a Claim Petition.

Harold Binder of Millerstown injuries when he was electrocuted at work in June of 2013. The injury to his head had severe and pervasive lingering effects on his memory and concentration abilities. He was diagnosed with post-concussive syndrome and has not been ready to re-enter gainful employment due to his workers’ compensation injuries.

Claimant Nancy Palusi (the name of our client has been changed for purposes of this article) was employed by H.E. Rohrer as a bus driver. On January 13, 2012, she slipped and tripped off a bus step, breaking her left leg and landing on her left side, also hitting her left elbow and shoulder upon landing. She was taken by ambulance to the emergency room. The workers’ compensation insurance carrier is American Zurich Insurance Company and was found liable for this work injury.

On June 2, 2003, Uriah Graham, while working for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania State Correctional Institute in Camp Hill, PA, was climbing up a ladder to his post when his arm suddenly went numb and he fell twenty feet to the concrete below. Because the workers’ compensation insurance company would not pre-approve the purchase of the prescription for the scooter, we filed a prospective Utilization Review for a motorized scooter as prescribed by Dr. Donald Kovacs. The Utilization Review denied treatment, finding it unreasonable and unnecessary.

On May 15, 2011, while employed as an overnight stock leader and supervisor for Weis Markers, Inc, Leon Nolan (name changed for this summary) of Catawissa, PA suffered a work-related injury. This injury occurred when Claimant lowered down pallets from his left side and twisted to his right side in order to set them down. During this twisting motion, he experienced a sharp pain in his lower back. This pain then radiated to his right hip and leg. The injury was originally designated as low back strain on the Notice of Compensation Payable (NCP) issued by the self-insured employer.

Marty Inman (name changed for this summary) was injured leaving his job as a corrections officer at the State Correctional Institute (SCI) at Graterford in Perkiomen Valley, Pennsylvania. Mr. Inman, like many other officers who worked at the far end of the complex, would park adjacent to a water tower near his post. On the morning of January 22, 2012, after working the third shift, Mr. Inman was on his way to his truck when he stepped on uneven pavement and injured his left ankle. Mr. Inman promptly reported his injury. The insurance company refused to pay workers compensation disability. Mr. Inman then hired Calhoon & Kaminsky to file a claim petition on his behalf.

Mark Burns (name changed for this summary) was a construction laborer for Comcast Corporation who was struck by a cable and conduit On October 9, 2009. He immediately felt pain in his back and right hip. Mark went to the Chambersburg Emergency Room the next day.

Erica Carter (name changed for this summary) was employed as a Licensed Practicing Nurse on a part-time basis for Links 2 Care. She was responsible for bathing and repositioning the patients she was assigned to. Ms. Carter had just returned to work from a surgery that was not work-related on November 8, 2011, when she was injured at work. She was working with an elderly resident, and when she reached across the resident she injured her back.

James Rossum (name changed for this summary) sustained a work-related injury when he slipped and caught a heavy object with his right upper arm. As a result of the injury, James was not able to return to work and is still unable to work. We filed a Claim Petition, Review Medical Petition and Penalty Petition against his employer, Bongiovanni MA, Inc. and its insurance carrier, Employers Insurance Company of Wausau.