Crane accidents can result in some of the most serious construction site injuries. As with any large piece of equipment, crane accidents present both crushing and collapse injuries that can disable or kill a worker.
One possible consequence of a crane injury is traumatic brain damage. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported on the recovery that one construction worker is undergoing after suffering a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a construction accident. His injury is similar to brain injuries that many Chicago construction workers suffer in crane accidents.
The Wisconsin construction worker was working with a crane when it collapsed at a construction site. The accident killed a truck driver and threw the construction worker 10 feet from the crane’s cab.
“When we did a CT scan, it showed massive bleeding over the brain,” one doctor said of the crane worker’s TBI. “There was a blood clot large enough to cause the brain to completely shift over.”
The doctor added that this is the most severe non-fatal brain injury that he had seen in his 22 years of experience.
Although the construction worker’s prognosis was poor, months of surgeries and rehabilitation has almost fully restored his brain functions.
“He’s one in 10 million because he suffered a traumatic brain injury and has made such a full recovery,” the doctor said. “He’s essentially 99% functional. The fact he’s alive is amazing. But the fact that he’s so functional is even more amazing. I would like to think it’s a miracle. Or the closest thing to a miracle a physician will ever see.”
As the doctor noted, such a complete recovery is very rare. The majority of construction workers who suffer TBI suffer permanent damage that may result in disability-related workers’ compensation benefits. An experienced construction accident law firm can help workers receive all of the workers’ comp benefits that they are entitled to in order to absorb the large medical expenses and lost wages associated with a brain injury.
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