Claims leaders rank psychosocial issues as the number one barrier to successful claim outcomes, according to Rising Medical Solutions’ 2016 Workers’ Compensation Benchmarking Study survey. A new white paper, co-authored by study program director Rachel Fikes and industry journalist Peter Rousmaniere, shows how claims advocacy principles at The Hartford, CNA, Nationwide, and Albertsons Companies are taming the effects of psychosocial…
Summary judgment was properly awarded to an insurance company that denied a request to defend a construction company in a negligence suit, the Indiana Court of Appeals found Tuesday. The judges ruled the terms of the policy only obligated the insurance company after a certain amount of damages had been paid. When Walsh Construction Co. began construction a traffic exchange…
The family of a 25-year-old St. Charles man killed when his motorcycle collided with a semi-truck last summer south of Elgin has filed a wrongful death and negligence lawsuit against the truck driver and his employer. Jordan Hale, 25, was riding his 2002 Suzuki SV650S motorcycle north on Route 25 when a southbound 1995 Ford L-Series truck, driven by David…
You hire new employees with the intent to maintain or increase your production and profitability, and not to increase your workplace injuries. Unfortunately, safety in the workplace is often overlooked on the new hire checklist. In fact, 40 percent of injured employees have been on the job less than one year (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). You can reduce your…
A driver is suing a truck company alleging that a tire failed him while driving and caused a crash. Commerce Tryst Company, as conservator and on behalf of the estate of Tony M. Carson, filed a complaint on April 1 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court against Tom Graddy Enterprises of St. Louis LLC doing business as Vanguard Truck…
The number of workplace injury claims continues to decline year after year despite significant changes in workforce demographics that one might think should increase claims frequency, according to a report released Monday by the National Council of Compensation Insurance. The number of workers aged 55 and over has nearly doubled since 2006, At the same time, that age group began…
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reinstated a woman’s negligence claim against her former employer, concluding he was considered a third party in the suit and could therefore not be shielded. Following her firing from All Steel Carports, Inc. in July 2016, Lora Brenner and her spouse sued All Steel, its former president, Ignacio Chavez, and the property’s owner, Chavez…
A semi-truck driver who was seriously injured after the contents of his trailer fell on him upon opening the door after transport won partial judgment against the trucking company responsible for loading the trailer when an appellate panel found the company owed him a duty of care. Paul Wilkes, an over-the-road truck driver for Knight Transport, was dispatched in January…
Workers compensation payers disbursed 3.8% less for prescriptions in 2018, including a 15% drop in opioids, due to a decline in utilization and overall cost per prescription, according to a drug trends report released Thursday by MyMatrixx, a subsidiary of Express Scripts Holding Co. Overall, 65.9% of comp payers spent less on opioids in 2018, with 17.7% of injured workers…
Dozens of drivers have filed tort claims seeking money from the state of Indiana after their cars were damaged while driving on a 15-mile (24 kilometers), pothole-afflicted section of Interstate 69. The problematic stretch of highway extends between mile markers 219 in Pendleton and 234 in Daleville, The Star Press reported. Forty claimants are pursuing damages for repairs to brake…
