Some workplace injuries suffered by Pennsylvania residents are unquestionably more devastating than others. Those involving large machinery whether mobile or stationary are the source of many of the more serious injuries. When someone is injured in an incident involving one of these pieces of machinery, that person can seek benefits via a workers' compensation claim. It is also possible that individual could seek damages via a personal injury lawsuit.

A man who was seriously injured more than 10 years ago has filed one such lawsuit. The heart of the case is the "degloving" injury the man suffered when something happened while he was operating a drying machine. His hand became caught in the machine removing all of the skin as well as damaging several fingers. In addition, several fingers were amputated in the incident. As one could imagine, his recovery was long and difficult.

The worker sued the manufacturing company which is an Italian company. The lawsuit was drawn out by that company which actually was liquidated in Italy. Due at least in part to the delays, the injured man sought a default judgment. A judge in Pennsylvania recently found in favor of the injured man on that motion. The damages will be determined by a jury later this year.

Individuals who are injured on the job should be aware of their options. As this case illustrates, the outcome may encompass more than just workers' compensation benefits. Because these cases can be complicated and must be filed within a certain amount of time after the incident occurred, it is best to consult a lawyer who handles workplace injuries in a timely manner.

Source: The Pennsylvania Record, "Federal judge rules Italian co. liable in Pa. man's 'degloving' workplace injury," Jon Campisi, March 19, 2013

• Our firm handles similar situations to the one discussed in this post. For more information on these types of claims, please visit our Pennsylvania industrial workers' injuries page.