Alexandria, VA. We are happy to report our recent settlement of this 45-year-old mental health workers’ claim. The incident occurred near the end of our client’s shift. Suddenly, the injured worker was attacked by one of her patients with a knife. She attempted to run, but was caught by the patient, assaulted, and dragged around the workplace by her hair. She suffered multiple abrasions and contusions to the knees and in other areas of her body, but most significantly, suffered increased anxiety and depression as a result of the attack.
Although she recovered from her physical injuries, ultimately, our client was diagnosed by her psychiatrist with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as a result of the attack at work. Although she attempted to return to work, she was promptly taken back out of work by her psychiatrist, as her flashbacks and the re-living of the initial attack overwhelmed her. The psychiatrist eventually came to the opinion that our client was so debilitated that she was incapable of returning to work in any capacity due to the PTSD.
What made things more difficult was that our client presented as a subset of PTSD patients who experience psychotic symptoms, which patients have an even more difficult prognosis than the standard PTSD patient.
We were able to obtain our client a full and final settlement of her claim of $300,000.00.
Unfortunately, workers compensation does not include money for pain and suffering, so the settlement was based on her future potential indemnity payments and the future cost of ongoing treatment for her PTSD.