A visit to the Algirdas forest ended with spinal and pelvic fractures – often this risk is simply underestimated.

The painful disaster in the forest was fatal for the man: he would not wish it on anyone

According to Algirdas, who worked as a traveler, he was unable to return to work after an injury in the forest, a painful experience that irreversibly changed a man’s life.

“I have 20 hectares of my own forest. Once we brought talcum powder and cut down trees. I am a carpenter, I like to do crafts, I take care of wood every year. Every year we would cut down trees, this is our forest, these are our friends. We always comply with the safety requirements, but this time the accident did not help prevent it ”, recalls the man the day it cost him his job.

This time Algirdas and his friends were loading the felled trees into an open wooden truck when suddenly a log fell on the man and crushed him. According to him, he had not experienced such pain before.

“I remember experiencing a nightmare. That log crushed me. Never before has there been so much pain. They took me to the hospital very quickly. There I found a vertebral fracture, a fractured pelvic bone, and a rib. Therefore, I was immediately transferred to the Kaunas clinics. I spent a lot of time there. I was lying on the living room bed for a long time and couldn’t move. So I was expecting a very long rehabilitation. Since I am a carpenter, I don’t have two fingers. But this calamity is worse than anything else. I don’t wish that on anyone, ”says Algirdas.

After the disaster, the man was diagnosed with a disability and a level of inability to work. Although a man does not complain today about his financial situation, he believes that such an accident could really break a young man.

“Luckily, there is not much left until retirement, I have a time of service, it is not that difficult financially. But if such a disaster happened to a young man, it would be very difficult. The children have grown up, the wife works in a factory. That is enough money. The most important thing is that I recovered from that disaster, ”says Algirdas.

If you are unable to work, you are entitled to a disability pension

According to data from the Ministry of Social Security and Labor, in 2019. At the end of 2007, disability pensions in our country were paid at 236 thousand. population, and there were 158 thousand people of working age with disabilities.

People of working age are often recognized as disabled due to neoplasms, diseases of the circulatory system, connective tissue and musculoskeletal system, but in some cases also people who have lost the ability to work due to injuries.

In the event of incapacity for work, you should first contact your doctor, who will refer you to the Service for Disability and Work Incapacity. If the Disability and Work Capacity Assessment Service recognizes a person as incapable or partially able to work, he or she is entitled to a disability pension, for which it is necessary to apply to Sodra.

The amount of the pension for incapacity for work depends on the person’s level of work capacity, the length of service, the number of units of account and the value of the unit of account and the amounts of the basic pension approved by the Council of the State Social Security Fund.

Policyholders receive a benefit of several thousand euros

In case of incapacity for work and loss of a previous normal source of income, the benefit is also granted to the insured additionally. According to BTA’s Personal Insurance Products Manager, Ronaldas Grizickas, the company counts up to 10 such cases per year.

“Loss of the ability to work is most often determined after several serious brain injuries, skull fractures, and multiple multiple injuries. People probably hear this diagnosis more often after amputation. Regarding the circumstances, these are cases in which people experience multiple fractures, quite frequently after several traffic accidents or falls from a height, both at home and at work ”, he says.

According to R. Grizickas, the amount of the benefit depends on the determined level of incapacity for work and the amount of insurance chosen by the person. It can range from a few to tens of thousands of euros.

“The trauma criteria, after which a person becomes unable to work, does not select a person according to the expressed peculiarities. All people are more likely to suffer trauma and become incapacitated. However, when viewing stories Separately, we can point out that those who take care of the environment on their farms and in their own homes, for example, do not shy away from roofing work, they are at greater risk, ”says BTA’s Personal Insurance Product Manager.

According to R. Grizickas, the company has recorded several cases in which the desire to independently renovate the roof covering changed a person’s life: he fell, injured his spine and became incapacitated after long treatment.

“Even with a job as simple as chopping firewood, the chances of serious injury are dwindling. Incapacity for work cases also occur in various manufacturing companies, so those who work here could also be classified as higher risk. Well, and finally, traffic accidents. Nobody is protected from them, neither the pedestrian nor the passenger, and especially the driver “, says R. Grizickas the main risks.