A broken bone at work can sideline you for months. Missouri workers' compensation covers your medical bills, replaces lost wages, and compensates for any permanent impairment — but insurance companies routinely low-ball fracture settlements. Bur Oak Injury Law makes sure that doesn't happen to you.
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A bone fracture is one of the most serious and costly workplace injuries. Fractures can require surgery, hardware implants, months of physical therapy, and still result in permanent restrictions that affect your ability to return to your former job. Yet insurance companies routinely dispute the severity of fractures, argue that pre-existing conditions are to blame, and calculate permanent disability ratings as low as possible.
Missouri workers' compensation law under RSMo Chapter 287 entitles you to full medical treatment coverage, temporary total disability (TTD) wage replacement while you cannot work, and permanent partial or total disability benefits if the fracture causes lasting impairment. But you have to fight for what you're owed — and that fight starts with knowing how the system works from the inside.
At Bur Oak Injury Law, Chris Miller served as a government attorney in the Missouri Department of Labor — administering the Division of Workers' Compensation — before representing injured workers. He knows exactly how the DWC evaluates claims, which arguments the other side will make, and how to build a fracture claim that holds up.
Before representing injured workers, Chris Miller served as a government attorney in the Missouri Department of Labor and administered the Division of Workers' Compensation — the state administrative body that decides disputed claims. He knows how the process works because he ran it. When your bone fracture claim is disputed, that inside knowledge gives you a significant advantage over an insurer whose adjusters are counting on you not knowing your rights.
Under Missouri law, all work-related bone fractures are covered — from a stress fracture that develops gradually from repetitive duties to a traumatic fracture from a fall or equipment accident. Here are the most common types of workplace fractures and how they affect your claim:
Common in jobs requiring climbing, walking on uneven surfaces, or heavy lifting. Often require casting, surgery, and extended physical therapy. Long recovery periods frequently lead to permanent disability ratings.
Typical fall-on-outstretched-hand injuries in construction, warehousing, and healthcare. Wrist fractures can cause lasting grip-strength loss and affect a worker's ability to perform fine motor tasks.
Serious injuries most common from workplace falls. Hip fractures frequently require surgical repair, extended rehabilitation, and can result in substantial permanent partial disability awards under Missouri law.
Among the most severe fracture injuries — caused by lifting accidents, falls, or crush incidents. Vertebral fractures are often evaluated as body-as-a-whole injuries, which carry up to 400 statutory weeks of compensation.
Shoulder fractures limit reaching, lifting, pushing, and pulling — critical functions in most jobs. Clavicle breaks and upper arm fractures can reduce an employee's ability to return to their prior occupation.
High-energy fractures from falls or vehicle accidents. Femur fractures often require surgical rods or plates and carry significant permanent disability ratings that insurance companies frequently undervalue.
Displaced fractures and crush injuries to fingers or hands are common in manufacturing, construction, and agriculture. Loss of grip or range of motion can permanently affect earning capacity.
Develop gradually from repetitive tasks — common in healthcare workers, warehouse employees, and delivery drivers. Stress fractures are covered under Missouri workers' comp even without a single traumatic event.
When a fracture is work-related, Missouri workers' compensation law entitles you to four categories of benefits — all of which insurance companies may try to limit or deny:
All necessary treatment is covered — emergency care, surgery, hardware (plates, rods, screws), casts, physical therapy, follow-up visits, and prescription medication. Your employer's insurer selects the treating physician, but if they deny necessary treatment you can challenge that decision.
If you cannot work during recovery, you receive TTD payments equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wage, up to a statutory maximum. Missouri has a three-day waiting period before TTD kicks in, which is waived if you're off work more than 14 days.
If your fracture heals but leaves permanent impairment — reduced range of motion, persistent pain, hardware that restricts movement — you are entitled to PPD benefits. Missouri calculates PPD using your disability rating, statutory weeks for the body part, and compensation rate.
If your fracture leaves you unable to return to your prior occupation, you may qualify for vocational rehabilitation services — job retraining, education, and placement assistance — to help you return to gainful employment in a suitable capacity.
The steps you take immediately after a workplace fracture directly affect the strength of your workers' compensation claim. Here's what matters most:
Missouri law requires you to report a workplace injury within 30 days. Do so in writing and keep a copy. Delayed reporting is one of the most common reasons insurers contest claims. If your fracture developed from repetitive stress, report it as soon as you discover or reasonably suspect a work connection.
Your employer's insurer has the right to select your treating physician for workers' compensation purposes. See that doctor for your fracture — if you treat only on your own health insurance, it can complicate your claim. Follow all medical advice and attend every appointment to avoid disputes about your recovery.
Keep records of your accident report, all medical appointments, X-rays and imaging, work restrictions, and communications with your employer and insurer. Photograph the accident scene and your injury if possible. Obtain contact information for any coworkers who witnessed the incident.
Insurance companies move quickly to close fracture claims before the full extent of your permanent disability is known. Never sign a settlement agreement without first speaking with a workers' compensation attorney. Once you settle, you typically cannot reopen the claim — even if your condition worsens.
Bur Oak Injury Law represents injured workers across central Missouri — including Columbia, Jefferson City, Sedalia, Rolla, and the surrounding communities — after workplace bone fractures of all types. Whether you suffered a displaced fracture injury in a construction accident, an ankle fracture from a slip and fall at a warehouse, or a vertebral fracture from a lifting accident in a manufacturing facility, the legal process under Missouri workers' compensation law is the same: your employer's insurer is required to cover your medical expenses, replace a portion of your lost wages, and compensate you for any permanent impairment under RSMo Chapter 287. The challenge is making sure they actually do it.
Missouri workers' compensation settlements for bone fractures are calculated using a formula that accounts for your average weekly wage, the statutory weeks assigned to the affected body part, and your permanent disability rating. For scheduled injuries — those assigned fixed statutory weeks under Missouri law — the calculation is more straightforward: a knee fracture, for example, carries 160 statutory weeks. For body-as-a-whole injuries such as spinal fractures, the calculation uses 400 weeks as the base. Serious fractures that require surgery, result in hardware implants, or cause lasting restrictions tend to carry higher disability ratings, which directly increase the settlement value. Understanding how the Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation evaluates these claims — and how insurers routinely undervalue permanent impairment ratings — is exactly what Chris Miller's background as a former Missouri government attorney brings to your case.
Insurance companies move fast to close fracture claims before the full extent of your permanent disability is known. Call Bur Oak Injury Law today for a free consultation — no fee unless we win.