Get a Free Consultation with a Personal Injury Lawyer

Review by T.V.

"I highly recommend BB&G ... I would give 10 stars if I could!"

Review by G.V.

"I am so very pleased with the representation from BB&G!"

Review by M.S.

"The attorneys at BBG were exceptional. The outcome was better than we hoped."

Review by R.G.

"From the moment I contacted this firm I was treated like family."

Review by A.H.

"We couldn't be happier with the outcome or the excellent service."

Review by V.A.

"We felt very secure and confident with their representation."

Review by J.P.

"Briskman Briskman & Greenberg is a legal force to be reckoned with."

Review by T.Z.

"I'm happy with how they handled my case and recommend giving them a call!"

Review by K.N.

"Very easy process with the help of these amazing people. Very happy outcome!"

FREE CONSULTATION

GET A FREE CONSULTATION

Our Lawyers

Chicago Workers’ Compensation Lawyers for Amputations

Losing a limb at work is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a person. One moment you are doing your job, and the next, your life has changed permanently. If you suffered a workplace amputation in Chicago, you have real legal rights under Illinois law, and Briskman Briskman & Greenberg is here to help you fight for every dollar you are owed. As a Chicago personal injury lawyer firm with decades of experience representing injured workers across Illinois, we understand what is at stake for you and your family.

How Common Are Workplace Amputations in Chicago and Illinois?
What Illinois Law Says About Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Amputations
What Benefits Are Available Beyond the Scheduled Weeks of Pay?
Common Causes of Workplace Amputations in Chicago
Why Having a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Matters in Amputation Cases
FAQs About Chicago Workers’ Compensation for Amputations

How Common Are Workplace Amputations in Chicago and Illinois?

Workplace amputations happen far more often than most people realize. Workplace amputation is a widespread, disabling, costly, and preventable public health problem. Chicago sits at the center of some of Illinois’ busiest industries, including manufacturing along the Calumet corridor, construction near the Loop and along the lakefront, and heavy industrial work throughout the South Side and in areas like Cicero and Melrose Park. Workers in these environments face real daily risks of losing a finger, hand, arm, foot, or leg.

Thousands of occupational amputations occur each year, clustering in particular economic sectors, workplaces, and demographic groups such as young workers, Hispanics, and immigrants. That means the workers most likely to be hurt are often the same workers least likely to know their rights.

The manufacturing and construction sectors report the highest proportion of severe injury reports overall. Both industries are deeply rooted in the Chicago metro area, from steel fabrication plants near the Indiana border to construction projects along the I-90 and I-94 corridors. If you work in either of these industries and suffered an amputation, your injury is not unusual, and the law is designed to protect you.

An amputation is the traumatic loss of all or part of a limb or other external body part, including fingertip amputations with or without bone loss, medical amputations resulting from irreparable damage, and amputations of body parts that have since been reattached. This broad definition matters because many injured workers do not realize that partial amputations and reattachments still qualify for full workers’ compensation benefits under Illinois law.

What Illinois Law Says About Workers’ Compensation Benefits for Amputations

The workers’ compensation lawyer team at Briskman Briskman & Greenberg handles amputation claims under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305. This law provides a detailed schedule of benefits tied to the specific body part lost. The schedule is not a suggestion. It is the legal floor for what you are owed.

Under Section 8(e) of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305/8(e), the law assigns a specific number of compensation weeks to each body part. For injuries occurring on or after February 1, 2006, the schedule includes 76 weeks for a thumb, 43 weeks for an index finger, 205 weeks for a hand, 253 weeks for an arm, 167 weeks for a foot, and 215 weeks for a leg. These are the baseline figures for a complete loss.

The law also addresses more severe amputations. Under 820 ILCS 305/8(e), where an amputation of an arm occurs above the elbow, an additional 17 weeks of compensation is paid. Where the arm is amputated at or near the shoulder joint, making an artificial arm impossible to use, an additional 70 weeks is paid on top of the base 253-week award. For a leg amputated above the knee, an additional 27 weeks applies, and for an amputation at or near the hip joint where a prosthetic leg cannot be used, an additional 81 weeks is paid beyond the base 215-week award.

Your weekly benefit rate for an amputation is paid at the higher temporary total disability rate, not the standard permanent partial disability rate. This distinction matters significantly to the total value of your claim. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) oversees these claims, and having an attorney who knows how to present your case before the Commission makes a real difference in the outcome.

What Benefits Are Available Beyond the Scheduled Weeks of Pay?

The scheduled weeks of compensation are only one part of what you may be entitled to receive. Illinois workers who suffer amputations on the job are eligible for a broader package of benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305.

First, you are entitled to temporary total disability (TTD) benefits while you recover and cannot work. Under 820 ILCS 305/8(b), TTD pays two-thirds of your average weekly wage, subject to a maximum set by the IWCC. These payments run from the time you are unable to work until you reach maximum medical improvement.

Second, your employer is legally required to pay for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment. This includes surgery, hospital stays, physical therapy, and follow-up care. Under 820 ILCS 305/8(a)(4)(C), if you lose an arm, hand, leg, or foot, your employer must also provide you with a prosthetic limb and is responsible for maintaining, refitting, or replacing that prosthetic device for the rest of your life.

Third, if your amputation is so severe that you can no longer work at all, you may qualify for permanent total disability (PTD) benefits. Under 820 ILCS 305/8(e)(18), the loss of both hands, both arms, both feet, both legs, both eyes, or any two of those members constitutes total and permanent disability. PTD benefits are paid for life.

Fourth, if your injury causes serious and permanent disfigurement, you may also be entitled to additional compensation under Section 8(c) of the Act, which covers disfigurement to the hand, head, face, neck, arm, leg below the knee, or chest above the axillary line, up to 162 weeks of compensation. A workers’ compensation lawyer can help you identify all the benefit categories that apply to your specific injury.

Common Causes of Workplace Amputations in Chicago

Amputations do not happen randomly. They happen when safety systems fail, employers cut corners, or machines are not properly guarded. Understanding how your injury happened is a critical part of building your workers’ compensation claim and identifying whether a third-party lawsuit is also available to you.

Machinery accidents are the leading cause of workplace amputations in Illinois. Unguarded rotating parts, press machines, conveyor belts, and cutting equipment can remove fingers, hands, and arms in a fraction of a second. Workers at food processing plants near Pilsen, metal fabrication shops in the Chicago suburbs, and packaging facilities throughout Cook County face these risks every day.

Construction sites are another major source of amputation injuries. Caught-in or caught-between accidents, where a worker’s limb gets trapped between equipment or structural components, are a well-documented cause of traumatic amputations. Forklift accidents at warehouses and distribution centers along the I-55 corridor also cause crush injuries severe enough to require surgical amputation.

Employers under Illinois OSHA jurisdiction must report all work-related fatalities within 8 hours, and all work-related inpatient hospitalizations, all amputations, and all losses of an eye within 24 hours. Under federal OSHA’s reporting standard, 29 CFR 1904.39, the same 24-hour reporting requirement applies to private employers. This reporting obligation exists to protect co-workers from the same hazard. At the time of the opening date of inspection, employers had not abated the hazards that caused the amputation in over half (54.7%) of inspections. That means the same condition that hurt you may still be putting your coworkers at risk right now.

Other causes include workplace vehicle accidents, chemical exposure severe enough to cause tissue death, and fire or explosion injuries. No matter how your amputation happened, the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act covers you if the injury occurred in the course of your employment.

Why Having a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer Matters in Amputation Cases

Amputation claims are among the highest-value workers’ compensation cases in Illinois. That also makes them among the most contested. Employers and their insurance carriers have strong financial incentives to minimize what they pay, and they often do so through delayed approvals, disputed medical treatment, or low settlement offers that do not reflect the true long-term cost of your injury.

An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer can make a measurable difference in the outcome of your claim. At Briskman Briskman & Greenberg, we know how to calculate the full value of an amputation claim, including the scheduled weeks of benefits, the prosthetic device obligation, disfigurement compensation, and whether a permanent total disability claim applies. We also evaluate whether a third-party personal injury claim is available, such as when a defective machine manufactured by another company caused your injury.

Attorney fees in Illinois workers’ compensation cases are regulated by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act. Under 820 ILCS 305, attorney fees in disputed cases are generally capped at 20% of the total award, and all fee contracts must be approved by the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission. This protects you from excessive fees while ensuring you have access to skilled legal representation.

We handle cases throughout the Chicago area, including workers injured near Millennium Park, O’Hare International Airport, McCormick Place, and throughout the collar counties. We also serve clients in Peoria with a dedicated workers’ compensation lawyer and in Rockford with a workers’ compensation attorney ready to help. No matter where in Illinois you work, Briskman Briskman & Greenberg is ready to stand in your corner.

If you or someone you love lost a limb on the job, do not wait to get legal help. Call Briskman Briskman & Greenberg today at (312) 222-0010 for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Costs and expenses may apply depending on the specifics of your case, and our team will explain all terms clearly before you make any decisions.

FAQs About Chicago Workers’ Compensation for Amputations

How long do I have to file a workers’ compensation claim for an amputation in Illinois?

Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305/6, you generally have three years from the date of your injury to file a claim with the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission, or two years from the date of your last payment of compensation, whichever is later. Missing this deadline can permanently bar your claim, so you should contact an attorney as soon as possible after your injury.

Can I choose my own doctor after a workplace amputation in Illinois?

Yes. Under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, you have the right to choose your own treating physician. Your employer may have a panel of approved physicians, but you are not permanently locked into that panel. You are entitled to select a doctor you trust, and your employer is responsible for paying for all reasonable and necessary medical treatment related to your injury, including prosthetic devices and long-term care.

What if my employer says my amputation was my own fault?

Illinois workers’ compensation is a no-fault system. You do not need to prove that your employer was negligent to receive benefits. As long as your injury occurred in the course of your employment, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits under 820 ILCS 305. Your employer’s insurance carrier may try to dispute the claim, but fault is not a legal barrier to recovery in the workers’ compensation system.

Does losing two limbs in a workplace accident qualify me for permanent total disability in Illinois?

Yes. Under Section 8(e)(18) of the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act, 820 ILCS 305/8(e), the loss of both hands, both arms, both feet, both legs, both eyes, or any two of those members constitutes permanent and total disability. Permanent total disability benefits are paid for the rest of your life. The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission also recognizes other circumstances that may qualify as permanent total disability, so it is important to have your specific situation reviewed by a lawyer.

Can I also sue a third party if a defective machine caused my amputation?

Possibly. Workers’ compensation is generally your exclusive remedy against your employer under Illinois law. However, if a piece of equipment made by another company was defective and caused your amputation, you may have a separate product liability claim against that manufacturer. These third-party claims are separate from your workers’ compensation case and can result in additional compensation for pain and suffering, which is not available through workers’ compensation alone. An attorney can review the facts of your case and advise you on whether a third-party claim is available to you. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.

More Resources About Work Injury Types

The overall experience I had with Briskman Briskman & Greenberg was the kind that everyone should receive from any firm.

The staff stayed in contact with me via phone and email, they were very knowledgeable, they made sure I understood what was going on at all times, they answered all of my questions, were transparent, and definitely exceeded my expectations. I highly recommend them.

- Brandon Spivey

The level of care, attentiveness, empathy and concern relating to my case when dealing with Briskman Briskman and Greenberg surpassed my expectations.

They were extremely knowledgeable and fair in all matters related. They exemplified excellent customer service and care. They kept me inform and updated every step of the way and any questions I had they answered. I highly recommend using them as I would again.

- Joshua Payton

I was put to ease with the professionalism at Briskman and Briskman.

Paul Greenberg especially put my mind to rest and within a years time I have settled my case and I am very satisfied with the outcome. My injury was devastating but working with this law firm has put a lot of stressful nights to rest.

- Nakia Childs

I needed a personal injury lawyer and Gavin and his team went above and beyond.

They made the process simple and helped me in every step of the way. What I really appreciate is that they are straightforward and are quick to respond to my questions and any issues from a text or phone call. They as well continuously checked up on me. I'm happy with how they handled my case and would recommend giving them a call!

- Ted Zakrzewski

Briskman Briskman & Greenberg Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers (BBG) is a legal team you want on your side.

They handled my case in a professional, sensitive and very competent manner. The staff exhibits expertise in the legal realm and provided excellent customer support and care. Thanks BBG for your help with navigating a very sensitive and challenging case for my family.

- Robin Albritton

If you were in an accident and need an excellent lawyer, talk to Paul!!

Very nice and professional lawyer that extremely cares about their clients. Fingers crossed I'm never in an accident ever again but if so, I' would definitely, 10/10 use Paul again!

- Danny S.

I am so very pleased with the representation from BB&G!

Robert Briskman handled my injury case very well. Funny and understanding personality and he took the time to explain everything in detail of the entire case. It was wonderful working with him. I would recommend BB&G to anyone and for myself again in the future.

- Geneva Vanderbilt

From the moment I contacted this law firm I was treated like family.

Gavin Pearlman was honest and upfront with me throughout the process. No surprises and never kept me hanging. I strongly recommend These attorneys for your needs.

- Ron Gaber

I cannot say enough good things about the attorneys at Briskman Briskman & Greenberg Personal Injury & Car Accident Lawyers.

They were extremely responsive, professional, and compassionate throughout the entire process.Their negotiations skills were exceptional, and they were able to secure a settlement that far exceeded my expectations.I am grateful to have had such a dedicated team