The Most Common Injuries for Police Officers

Police officers serving San Jose, California residents put their health and safety on the line every day. Law enforcement personnel generally understand these risks before deciding on this career.

Just the same, coping with an on-the-job injury isn’t easy — and the unique situations police officers find themselves in tends to lead to certain workplace injuries that other people don’t encounter nearly so often.

What are some of the most severe injury risks for officers?

As you might expect, violence is a top injury hazard for law enforcement. Examples of injuries caused by violence include:

• Compound fractures due to assault
• Piercing wounds caused by bladed weapons (sharp force trauma)
• Brain damage and other severe injuries from getting struck by objects (blunt force trauma)
• Gunshot wounds

Another way police officers suffer catastrophic injuries is in transportation incidents. Motor vehicle accidents during a car chase, for example, often lead to devastating injuries for the police officers involved. Police officers can also get struck by passing cars as they fulfill their duties.

Many officers delay filing a workers’ comp claim because they dread the administrative side of things (claims adjuster interviews, etc.) — but that’s the wrong approach to take. When you have injuries that are interfering with your ability to work, you need workers’ compensation to operate according to the law. That’s guaranteed protection for your future — plus medical care and replacement wages. 

If you’re struggling to overcome a problem with your workers’ compensation claim, a workers’ comp attorney can help you.  Please continue reviewing our website if you need more information about workers’ compensation in California.