Indiana’s general coverage rule concerns personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of employment, subject to statutory exceptions. Indiana Code 22-3-2-2[1].
For an overview of the claim process, see our Indiana workers’ compensation guide.
Amputations and crush injuries require attention to both immediate health needs and the workers’ compensation process. This guide focuses on organizing your records and questions after the incident.
Key takeaways
- Get emergency help first, then keep the incident report and hospital papers together.
- Notice to your employer, a Board filing, and an employer’s IOSHA report are separate steps.
- Keep the exact loss location, physician’s report, work restrictions, and proposed calculation together for review.
- The OSHA reporting definition and Indiana’s PPI amputation rules are not interchangeable.
What are workplace amputation and crush injuries?
For safety reporting, OSHA defines amputation to include traumatic loss of all or part of a limb or another external body part, including fingertip amputations with or without bone loss. 29 CFR 1904.39(b)(11)[2].
A crush injury occurs when excessive force or pressure is applied to a body part. MedlinePlus lists possible damage including bleeding, bruising, compartment syndrome, fracture, an open wound, nerve injury, and infection. MedlinePlus: Crush injury[3].
In northeast Indiana workplaces, the equipment and task may vary, but the documentation questions are similar: What was happening, what contacted or trapped the worker, who witnessed it, and what changed afterward? OSHA’s machine-guarding guidance[4] explains that moving parts can cause crushed fingers or hands and amputations and that hazardous machine parts, functions, or processes must be safeguarded.
First priorities after the incident
MedlinePlus advises calling 911 for a crush injury and says these injuries most often need emergency-department evaluation. MedlinePlus: Crush injury.
For a severed limb, finger, toe, or other body part, MedlinePlus advises calling immediately for emergency medical help. MedlinePlus: Traumatic amputation[5].
- Get emergency help. Call 911 or ask someone nearby to call.
- Notify the employer. Tell a supervisor, foreman, or manager what happened as soon as practicable.
- Ask where authorized follow-up care will occur. The Indiana Board[6] says the employer directs care; emergency exceptions are explained below.
- Keep the first records. Save discharge papers, work-status notes, prescriptions, appointment information, and witness names.
- Write a factual timeline. Record the task, machine or material involved, time, location, people present, and each report you made.
Indiana Code section 22-3-3-4(e) prohibits an employer or carrier from delaying emergency care considered necessary by the attending health care facility physician. Indiana Code 22-3-3-4(e)[7].
Under section 22-3-3-4(d), reasonable other-physician costs during temporary total disability may be payable for an emergency, failure to provide care, or other good reason, subject to Board approval. Section 22-3-3-4(d).
Medical care comes first. When you are able, record what you actually saw and heard. Leave unknown details blank.
What benefits may apply under Indiana workers’ compensation?
Indiana’s official benefit summary identifies wage replacement, medical care, and a monetary benefit based on a physician’s impairment rating when the worker is not restored to the pre-injury condition after medical care. IN.gov: Official overview[8].
| Benefit area | What the official Indiana guidance says | Useful records |
|---|---|---|
| Medical care | Indiana workers’ compensation may provide medical care addressing a workplace injury. | Appointment notices, hospital papers, prescriptions, bills, and work-status notes |
| Wage replacement | For temporary total disability, the Board explains payment is two-thirds of average weekly wages, subject to the statutory maximum and eligibility rules. | Pay stubs, wage statements, schedules, overtime records, and check stubs |
| Permanent impairment | If treatment does not return the worker to the pre-injury condition, the Board identifies a possible monetary benefit based on a physician’s impairment rating. | Physician’s final report, rating document, and proposed calculation |
These categories do not establish that a particular claim will be accepted or determine what a particular worker will receive. Eligibility and payment depend on the applicable law, medical documentation, wage information, and claim facts.
Bring any proposed payment calculation to your consultation so the inputs can be checked against your records.
Records that can help explain the claim
A record created close to the event can help separate what was observed from what was assumed. Keep copies available to you; do not remove employer-owned material or enter restricted areas to collect evidence.
| Record | Question it may help answer |
|---|---|
| Incident report | When and how was the injury reported? |
| Witness names and contact information | Who observed the task, machine, material, or immediate aftermath? |
| Photographs already lawfully available to you | What did the equipment, work area, clothing, or protective gear look like? |
| Medical and work-status records | What care and work restrictions were documented? |
| Pay and schedule records | What work and earnings information existed before and after the incident? |
| Messages with the employer, adjuster, or medical office | What was requested, authorized, scheduled, delayed, or disputed? |
A loss-location and equipment worksheet
Use this preparation worksheet with copies you already have. Leave unknown items blank rather than guessing. It is not a medical assessment or an official filing form.
| Item to record | Your notes | Paper to bring |
|---|---|---|
| Exact digit, side, joint and loss location | Copy the wording; ask the clinician about unclear terms | Operative report and hand/foot chart |
| Machine and task | Machine identifier, guard position as observed, witnesses, time | Incident report and lawfully held photos |
| Work tasks | Grip, pinch, tool use, standing, walking, protective-equipment fit | Job description and work-status note |
| Artificial member or brace | Device requested, fitting appointment, written response, contact person | Prescription and authorization letters |
| Off-work dates and payments | Dates covered by each check, not just check arrival | Pay stubs and payment ledger |
For example, “left index finger” alone may leave the exact level unclear. Put the operative report beside the chart and ask the clinician to clarify any mismatch; do not draw your own conclusion from a photograph.
You can use the firm’s broader Indiana injured-worker recordkeeping checklist to organize these materials.
Amputation, permanent impairment, and PPI
Indiana’s schedule distinguishes loss by separation from loss of use. For qualifying scheduled amputations, the dollar values per degree are doubled; that doubling does not apply to loss of use without separation. Indiana Code 22-3-3-10(f)(1)–(3), (8)–(9)[9].
The Board’s October 2023 PPI guide says loss of fatty tissue alone without bone loss does not constitute an amputation under the statute and is paid according to the physician’s rating. That differs from OSHA’s broader reporting definition. Indiana WCB: PPI evaluation guide, page 3[10].
The Board requires a hand or foot chart showing the exact loss location for partial hand or foot amputations, submitted with the PPI report. Amputations are calculated separately rather than combined into a whole-person rating with other injuries. Indiana WCB: PPI evaluation guide, pages 2–3.
Practical comparison: Put the operative report, exact-loss chart, physician’s rating, injury date, and proposed dollar calculation side by side. Ask which category the proposal uses—loss by separation, loss of use, or a combination—and where each component appears. Do not assume a reporting label determines the award.
Our Indiana PPI calculator offers an educational starting point, not an individualized award estimate. Bring complex digit-and-hand or toe-and-foot combinations for individual review.
For a compensable amputation, section 22-3-3-4(f) requires the employer to furnish an appropriate artificial member. Qualifying repairs or replacements due to medical necessity or normal wear, rather than abuse, are paid from the second injury fund upon Board order or award. Section 22-3-3-4(f).
Notice and filing deadlines
Report promptly. Section 22-3-3-1 calls for written notice as soon as practicable unless the employer has actual knowledge. Its 30-day language includes payment consequences, actual-knowledge qualifications, and an employer-prejudice limitation; it is not an automatic forfeiture rule for every late report. Indiana Code 22-3-3-1[11].
Section 22-3-3-3 generally requires a claim with the Board within two years after the accident. If temporary total or temporary partial disability compensation is paid, subsection (b) starts that period on the last date for which that compensation was paid—not simply the day a check arrived or a medical bill was paid. Indiana Code 22-3-3-3(a)–(b)[12].
Employer notice and a Board claim are different steps. Get individual review of your dates and payment history; this summary is not a calculation of your filing date.
For more detail, see the firm’s guides to reporting an Indiana work injury and the Board filing process.
Does the OSHA report replace a workers’ compensation claim?
For employers under Indiana IOSHA jurisdiction, the state instructs reporting work-related amputations, in-patient hospitalizations, and eye losses within 24 hours. Indiana DOL: Report an accident or fatality[13].
The federal rule limits reportable hospitalizations, amputations, and eye losses to events occurring within 24 hours of the work incident and has later-knowledge timing provisions and specified exceptions. Emergency-room care alone or admission solely for observation or testing is not a reportable in-patient hospitalization. 29 CFR 1904.39(a)(2), (b)(3)–(10).
The employer should follow the applicable agency’s instructions. This safety report does not perform either of the worker’s separate steps described above: employer notice and a Board filing. Do not wait for a safety investigation before addressing your own paperwork.
What if care, wage benefits, or the impairment rating is disputed?
The Board recommends first asking the carrier or self-insured employer why a claim was denied. Its guidance identifies ombudsman dispute-resolution options and an Application for Adjustment of Claim when informal alternatives do not resolve the dispute. Indiana WCB: Who is eligible.
Keep the denial, medical records, work restrictions, wage information, payment history, and communications together. Write down what was requested, the response, and what remains unanswered for your attorney to review.
Frequently asked questions
Does every workplace crush injury qualify for workers’ compensation?
No automatic approval follows from the injury label. Indiana’s general rule requires personal injury by accident arising out of and in the course of employment, subject to coverage requirements and exceptions.
Can emergency care wait for the employer’s permission?
Indiana law prohibits an employer or carrier from delaying emergency care considered necessary by the attending health care facility physician. Employer-directed follow-up care and payment for other-physician services involve separate rules.
Is an OSHA-reportable fingertip amputation automatically a doubled PPI award?
No. OSHA includes fingertip amputations with or without bone loss for reporting. The Board’s PPI guide says fatty-tissue loss alone without bone loss is not a statutory amputation and is paid according to the physician’s rating.
What records help with a partial hand or foot amputation?
Bring the operative report, physician’s rating, and exact-loss hand or foot chart. The Board’s PPI guide requires the chart with the PPI report for partial hand or foot amputations.
Is the filing deadline measured from when the last check arrived?
Not under the temporary-disability payment rule described here. Section 22-3-3-3(b) uses the last date for which temporary total or temporary partial disability compensation was paid. Have the actual dates reviewed.
Who makes the IOSHA report?
The employer has the reporting duty under the applicable safety rules. The IOSHA report does not replace employer notice or a claim filed with the Worker’s Compensation Board.
For help reviewing your records and next steps after an amputation or crush injury at work, you may contact Delventhal Law Office for a free consultation.
This article is general information about Indiana law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship, and neither does contacting us.
Legal and medical sources checked October 15, 2026. General information only; do not share confidential records in public comments.
Sources
- Indiana Code 22-3-2-2 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- 29 CFR 1904.39(b)(11) (osha.gov) ↩
- MedlinePlus: Crush injury (medlineplus.gov) ↩
- OSHA’s machine-guarding guidance (osha.gov) ↩
- MedlinePlus: Traumatic amputation (medlineplus.gov) ↩
- Indiana Board (in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-4(e) (iga.in.gov) ↩
- IN.gov: Official overview (faqs.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-10(f)(1)–(3), (8)–(9) (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana WCB: PPI evaluation guide, page 3 (secure.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-1 (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana Code 22-3-3-3(a)–(b) (iga.in.gov) ↩
- Indiana DOL: Report an accident or fatality (in.gov) ↩
