In rare cases, employees with a permanent partial disability
to one major body part suffer a work-related injury that results in the loss or
impairment of the other body part. Individuals who suffer such injuries are
often entitled to benefits from a special government fund known as the “Second
Injury Fund.”

The Second Injury Fund was established in many states across
the country after a 1920s accident in Oklahoma. In that case, a one-eyed worker
lost his other eye in an industrial accident. The injured worker sued his
employer, who was forced to compensate the worker for total permanent
disability. As a result, many employers stopped hiring one-eyed, one-legged,
and one-armed workers.  

To protect such workers from these unfair hiring practices,
the Iowa state government has set up a Second Injury Fund that will make payments for
total permanent disability cases.

If you believe you are eligible to receive payments from the
Second Injury Fund, please contact the Des Moines workers' compensation attorneys of LaMarca & Landry, PC at 877-327-2600.