A 36-year-old emergency room nurse sustained a hand injury while restraining a patient at work. She underwent two surgeries to repair the injury, and was subsequently diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a chronic pain condition. She went on to develop Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) as well. Despite the insurer's argument that her young age and transferable nursing skill set supported a return to the workforce, Keches Law Group secured a settlement reflecting years of future permanent and total disability benefits.
Our client, a 36-year-old emergency room nurse, was injured while helping restrain a patient during a shift, sustaining significant trauma to her left hand. She underwent two surgical procedures in an effort to repair the damage, but instead of recovering function, she developed Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) — a chronic pain condition that causes the nervous system to misfire, producing severe and disproportionate pain from routine touch or stimuli.
Her condition continued to progress. She was subsequently diagnosed with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), a condition in which the brain's signaling to the body is disrupted, causing real and often debilitating physical symptoms without a corresponding structural injury. Together, these diagnoses left her unable to return to the physical and cognitive demands of bedside nursing — or, the insurer argued, any comparable role.
The insurance carrier contested the extent of her disability, pointing to her young age and her transferable clinical skill set as evidence that she retained significant earning capacity. Keches Law Group built the case around comprehensive medical documentation of the CRPS and FND diagnoses, treating physician opinions, and vocational analysis demonstrating that her conditions — not her credentials — defined her capacity for work going forward.
The result was a settlement reflecting years of future permanent and total disability benefits, securing long-term financial support for a nurse whose career was cut short by a single workplace injury.
