HARRISBURG – How much is a lost limb worth in Pennsylvania courts? Nearly $390,000, according to statistics compiled and promoted by a Georgia-based law firm.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an average of 2.8 million injuries in workplaces across America every year. However, not each state in the country offers the same amount of money to a potential injury plaintiff.
According to a map created by Bader Scott, a Georgia injury compensation firm, Pennsylvania is the state with the fourth-highest payouts for plaintiffs who lost an arm and then filed suit. In Pennsylvania, a plaintiff can potentially be awarded an average compensation of $389,910.
This value is more than twice the national average.
Other states at the top of the national compensation map are Nevada with $859,634, a dollar-figure nearly double that of its nearest contender, Illinois, with $439,858. Rounding out the top five payout-amount states are No. 3 Kentucky with $402,277 and No. 5 Iowa with $361,750.
The average maximum compensation for losing one arm across the United States is $169,878, but this value is not consistent across the 50 states.
The state with the lowest compensation amount for a potential plaintiff who suffered the loss of an arm is Alabama with $48,840, followed by Massachusetts with $52,254, Rhode Island with $56,160, Kansas with an even $75,000 and Oklahoma with $88,825.
The difference in dollar amounts for plaintiffs is due to each state determining its own compensation benefits, leaving plaintiffs with very different results depending on where they file suit.
Attorneys at Bader Scott recently highlighted the issue of arm loss compensation in various states, when their firm created a commercial featuring an appearance from Kelci “Saff” Saffery of the Netflix series “Tiger King”.
Saffery lost an arm while working with a tiger at The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma in 2013. The aftermath of the attack was captured on film and shown in Episode 2: Cult of Personality of “Tiger King”.
Rather than face the prospect of two years of reconstructive surgery, Saff opted for his mauled limb to be amputated and returned to work within the course of a week.
According to the Bader Scott firm, Saff failed to file a claim within Oklahoma’s two-year statute of limitations and lost his ability to claim any compensation.
“Accidental injury can bring unforeseen expenses with medical care, expenses and significant damage causing unexpected life disruption. Life may never be the same again, from working ability to simple day-to-day activities,” firm founder Seth Bader said.
“As ‘Tiger King’ was viewed by millions of people, it makes Saff one of the most widely recognized incidents of personal injury at work in recent times. So when we decided we wanted to run a commercial to educate people on this subject, we knew that Saff was the perfect person to work with.”
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com