Most people who have used Miami’s airport have likely used the Skytrain to get from one part of South Florida’s largest airport to another. Particularly during heavy travel periods, such as the recent holiday season, this convenience is used often; a recent estimate of the number of daily travelers topped 100,000 passengers, and it is safe to assume a significant percentage of those travelers used the Skytrain to get around. With all that usage, workers are needed to maintain the transportation system. And, for the most part, the maintenance is performed without incident.  The maintenance company employees do a good job of keeping Skytrain’s passengers safe – but sometimes they themselves may fall victim to hazardous conditions.

According to a recent story about Miami International Airport’s Skytrain during the height of the busy holiday travel season, the Skytrain derailed. Two of the four cars were involved in the accident. At the time of the incident, one of the employees of the train’s private maintenance company was on board the elevated light-rail train car — and was taken to the hospital afterward. The employee was later released from the hospital, and at the time airport officials were not able to provide the extent of the employee’s injuries.

Any Job Can Potentially Be Dangerous

Large airports such as Miami International and companies that provide all types of service at those airports employ many people, and many of those jobs involve hazardous working conditions. We can easily imagine those employees, such as the Skytrain employee, who perform maintenance, handle runway traffic, or handle baggage getting into harm’s way, but any job at an airport can potentially expose an employee to dangerous situations – resulting not just in physical injury, but possibly mental or nervous injuries as well. Are mental injuries treated in the same manner as physical injuries, though? What rights do workers have with respect to workers’ compensation when they suffer a non-physical injury?

What Types Of Injuries Are Covered By Workers’ Compensation?

Florida’s Division of Workers’ Compensation website details the rights of an injured worker and is a good source for  information about what coverage is provided for by law. Florida Statute 440.093 sets forth the law regarding workers’ compensation with respect to mental injuries and states generally that a mental injury resulting from stress or fear does not qualify as an injury that arises out of an accident in the workplace. No payment of benefits would be made for a mental injury unless there is also a physical injury that requires treatment. For mental injuries to qualify for compensation, they must be present along with a physical injury, and an injured party would need to be able to obtain documentation from a qualified mental health professional regarding the mental injury. Additionally, the injured party would need to show that the physical injury was the main cause of the mental injury. Lastly, a medical professional must make a determination that the physical injury must have been at least 50 percent responsible for the mental injury after taking all the other potential causes into consideration.

Get Advice Regarding Your Workplace Injuries

If you have been injured as a result of a workplace accident, contact an attorney now to learn whether your injuries are compensable under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws. A Miami Workers Compensation Lawyer will review the details of your case and help you determine the best way to proceed with your case. Do not delay – get help today.