Construction accidents can often leave workers seriously injured, which can put an end to their careers. New York City construction accident lawyers can help injured workers to ensure they are able to receive disability income and to get their medical bills paid if they have suffered a serious injury at work.
In some cases, workers will not only lose the ability to work but will have their entire lives changed by a work injury. For example, Lohud reported recently on the case of a man who had been left paralyzed by a construction accident in 2008. After a decade of being unable to walk on his own, however, the construction worker has been given a new lease on life when a robotic device helped him to walk again.
Robotic Device Helps Paralyzed Construction Worker to Walk Again
According to Lohud, the construction worker was paralyzed in 2008 when he fell from a roof while performing construction work in New York City. Now, the worker has become the first Lower Hudson Valley patient to be fitted with a futuristic wearable exoskeleton. The exoskeleton is called the ReWalk and it provides paralyzed individuals with powered hip and knee motions. When wearing the device, workers who could not walk on their own are able to stand, move around, and turn.
The construction worker, who is now 39, indicated he had spent “countless hours” dreaming he would some day be able to walk again after the accident occurred. He describes a feeling of disbelief after his fall when he was diagnosed, stating: “I couldn’t believe (I was paralyzed) and was still thinking the doctor was mistaken…and maybe in six months some miracle would happen, and I’d stand up, but it did not happen.”
Now, his wish has come true. When the construction worker was wearing the WeWalk exoskeleton device, he was able to grab ahold of two arm crutches while he was sitting in a chair. The robotic parts of the device began to whirl, and he was able to stand up as hospital workers looked on and watched him take cautious steps.
The construction worker told Lohud that most people didn’t know what it was like to have to remain seated all the time and described his happiness at finally being able to stand up, look people in the eye, and move around and walk a little bit.
The ReWalk has already been utilized by patients in the past to gain their mobility back, with most of the first patients given the opportunity to use the device military veterans who were participating in clinic trials. The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs has also purchased several WeWalk robotic devices for paralyzed veterans, including 28 devices in 2017 and 20 devices in 2016. However, this construction worker is the first in his area to be fitted with the device that can open up new doors for him.
Any worker injured in a construction accident deserves the very best care to enhance his quality of life. New York City construction accident lawyers can help victims of construction accidents to take action by filing a workers’ comp claim to ensure they are able to get benefits paid for.
