With more than 39 million residents, the State of California has the largest population of any state in the Union, and California leads second place by more than 8 million people. The state boasts a large number of employers across a diverse range of jobs, including agriculture and manufacturing. With these facts taken into account, it is not surprising that California leads the nation in the number of employees, with more than 19 million. With the population climbing, it stands to reason the worker’s compensation claims are increasing too. Slip or trip and fall accidents are very common types of worker’s comp claims, and with the injury type dealing with lower body joints, the Normandie Law Firm is often asked what the average value of a knee injury worker’s comp case is.
Many jobs have an inherent injury type that is associated with and understood by the workers. When the injury type can occur regardless of the job, people understand the risks. A knee fracture, sprain, or even a ligament tear is an injury that occurs across many different jobs because it involves a shared action —walking or moving around. When we get asked what the average value of a knee injury worker’s comp case is, our response is the same for every kind of injury. There are quite a few different things that factor into how much the claim value is, and it affects the average.
The individual things that influence the value of any claim usually start with the severity of the injury, and truthfully, really begin with what the injury actually is. From the what and how much comes the question of potential disability. This is followed by yet more unique data, such as the employee’s salary and age. If you cannot return to work in the same job or industry due to the injury, the value is going to increase dramatically, as this may lead to a payment every month for the rest of your life if your disability is permanent and you are unable to make the same living you could before you were hurt.
When you are hurt while working and have a knee injury of any kind, what affects your payout for temporary disability is the severity of your injury and your salary. In 2025, the maximum weekly payout is $1,680.29. When you are on disability for any duration, it will introduce some challenges for you and your family. Very few people are in a position where they take a 34% or higher pay cut with no warning and describe it as a pleasant experience. Worker’s comp insurance is a lot like most private insurance, but there is a difference between the two of them. Private insurance companies are attempting to generate a profit and usually approve claims based on liability and coverage, assessing fault and paying the least they can get away with. Worker’s compensation will cover the claim by default in most cases. The worker’s comp program will still work to limit what they need to pay out, though, not because they are striving to make money. Their funding is limited, and the payouts have no absolute limit.
When you have filed a worker’s compensation claim and are interested to know what the payout value is going to be, please know that you contact the team at the Normandie Law Firm. Our legal team can give you an estimated value based on the factors mentioned earlier, and they can share the averages they see in injury settlements for claims similar to yours. We are highly experienced in helping our clients deal with worker’s compensation when it comes to claims and benefits, and the staff is very interested in assisting people to get the benefits they deserve, especially in claims where someone might be experiencing an injury like a knee sprain or fracture.
When we take your first call, our goal is to collect all the details of your accident and resulting injuries. This helps us understand what your needs are and what we need to do in order to meet them. If we cannot answer all the questions during the first call, we will schedule a free initial consultation with one of our staff members. They can speak with you about the average value of a knee injury worker’s comp case and start working on the rest of your questions. In our first meeting, we will assess your claim for the benefits you need and are eligible for. If you haven’t yet filed your worker’s compensation claim, the very next thing we need to tell you is that there is a time limit for filing a worker’s comp claim.
Our Recent Verdicts and Settlements
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$1.1 Million
$1.5 Million
$600,000
$525,000
$734,851
Time Limits And Worker’s Compensation Claim Filing
Here in the State of California, your time limit is 30 calendar days to file a claim with worker’s compensation. The timer begins on the date of your incident. Some companies have people whose job is getting the worker’s compensation claims opened after an employee accident. If your employer doesn’t open claims, please do not wait to contact the Normandie Law Firm. The clock is running, and we can provide you with assistance in getting your claim started. There are a few exceptions to the 30-day time limit, and one is any injury caused by cumulative trauma.
What Is Cumulative Trauma?
Cumulative trauma is a diagnosis for any injury that takes place over a long period of time from the repetition of a work-related task or activity. If you are diagnosed with an injury like this, you can still file a worker’s compensation claim. The time limit to file a claim for a diagnosed cumulative trauma injury is one year, and begins on the date of the first day of work you missed due to the pain caused by the injury.
What Kinds Of Accidents Will Cause A Knee Injury At Work?
Any knee injury can occur in several ways and from a range of causes. Similar to other lower body injuries like ankles and hips, the severity is going to be different depending on the injury itself. Sprains are quite different as compared to a fracture, and twisting the knee joint is going to be different than suffering any kind of impact from any direction. The knee injury might be caused by:
- An unexpected fall on a hard surface directly on the knee joint, damaging to ligaments or bones from a standard slip or trip and fall scenario
- A traumatic impact or blunt force trauma to your knee caused by falling debris or a collision of some kind from equipment at knee height, creating a direct impact versus a glancing blow
- A crush injury that could happen as a piece of heavy equipment comes down on your knee while you are working under it for a repair or maintenance activity
Will My Workplace Injury Always Be Covered By Worker’s Compensation?
Generally speaking, if you are hurt while doing your job as an employee, you can expect your injury to be covered by the California worker’s compensation insurance program. There are some exceptions to being covered at work, and they stem from a situation similar to these examples. A couple of examples would be where an employee is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or is hurt by a self-inflicted injury. If an investigation finds the behavior described above, it is possible that workers’ compensation will not approve the claim and pay any benefits at all.
The Benefits Offered By California Worker’s Compensation Insurance For Injured Employees
This is not a complete list of all of the benefits offered by the worker’s compensation program in the State of California. Still, it is a few of the key benefits you qualify for if you suffer a workplace injury. It includes but is not limited to the following:
- A total of 1 million dollars per single incident for medical care, which includes your hospital and doctor’s services, any prescriptions or other medications available over the counter, your physical therapy for rehabilitation, and the rental or purchase of required medical devices like crutches, a cane, or a wheelchair
- If you are incapable of working until you are recovered, then you may receive up to 66% of your regular weekly income for short-term disability, with a maximum of 104 weeks
- If you are experiencing long-term disability from your injury, the program offers long-term disability payments based on the disability rating, your income on the day of the accident, and other factors
- If your injuries now prevent you from being able to work in your job, you are eligible to receive vocational training in order to help you find a different career after you are cleared to return to work by your doctors
The Average Value of a Knee Injury Worker’s Comp Case
When it comes to knee injuries and the settlement value of the case, numbers across cases with similar injuries average between $5,000 and $100,000. Normandie Law Firm knows that what influences the value the most is the extent of your injury and the presence of a disability when applied to the indemnity portion of the settlement value. The seriousness of the injury is going to influence many of the other values in terms of how things are counted up.
Can I Sue My Company For My Injury?
Generally speaking, the answer is no: you are not permitted to sue your employer for on the job injuries. Once an employee files a claim with worker’s compensation for coverage, they are now prohibited from filing a personal injury lawsuit against their employer. One notable exception to that statement is if the company is responsible for causing or contributing to the injuries, then it should be discussed with your attorney as soon as this information is learned. This action introduces an opportunity to sue if gross negligence by the employer caused the hazard and created the conditions where the employee was injured.
Gross negligence is defined as willful misconduct or a reckless disregard for the safety of others. If you believe this has happened or has contributed to the accident cause, please make sure you tell the legal team at Normandie Law Firm as soon as you believe this to be the case. They will assess the possibility and can represent you if filing the lawsuit is pursued.
Our Policy On Upfront Costs At Normandie Law Firm
When you need to hire the Normandie Law Firm, we will not ask you for any upfront legal fees before we take your case, offer assistance, or answer any questions. We will bill you only after your case is completed successfully. If you do not win your worker’s comp claim or if we represent you in a lawsuit and do not win or settle the case in your favor, you will not be billed at all. If you need to open a worker’s compensation claim or pursue a personal injury lawsuit, please do not hesitate to call the legal team at Normandie Law Firm. We are ready to help you recover the costs of your medical care and lost wages.
