Neck, Back and Spinal Injuries

An injury to the neck or back can be the result of a specific incident or something that occurs over time based on the nature of your work. Proper medical attention early on is essential for long-term recovery. As such, it is important that you demand that your injury be evaluated and treated by the proper physicians and that a specialized course of treatment is recommended and authorized.

Even minor work-related neck or back injuries left untreated can deteriorate over time and cause serious issues and pain later in life. Factoring in the resulting potential wage loss, these injuries are not something that can be left untreated.

Neck and Back Work Injury Cases We Handle

We can help you with a range of neck and back injuries including:

• Herniated disks
• Lower back injuries
• Bulging disks
• Spinal cord injuries/paralysis
• Nerve impingements
• Cervical injuries (Neck)
• And others

When dealing with work injury claims, you can’t afford to delay contacting an attorney. The insurance company has already begun working on your workers’ compensation case. They are gathering evidence regarding the prior medical care you have received, talking with your employer and co-workers, and doing everything possible to convince your doctors that you do not need medical treatment.

What to Do If You Have Experienced a Work-Related Neck or Back Injury

If you experience a workplace injury relating to your neck or back, you may need immediate treatment including medications, physical therapy, diagnostic testing, injections, or even surgery.

Insurance companies are aware of the seriousness of these injuries and will work to gather evidence to deny your claim.  They will send you to doctors on their preferred lists, deny medically necessary diagnostic tests and encourage your physician to send you back to work without treatment or restrictions. Then, when they have convinced you that you don’t need treatment or that your complaints are not valid, the insurance companies will try to settle your claim for a fraction of the cost of its true value.

Compensation for work-related back injuries

The total workers’ compensation benefits that you can recover for work-related back injuries will depend on the nature and extent of your injuries and whether they are:

• Total but temporary, such that you are wholly unable to work but are expected to recover.
• Partial but temporary, such that you can perform some but not all of your job-related tasks.
• Total and permanent, leaving you forever unable to return to work.
• Partial and permanent, such that you can return to work but will never be able to perform all your job duties.

Workers’ comp reimburses a portion (typically two-thirds) of the salary and wages you cannot earn due to your injuries and your medical expenses associated with the authorized treatment of your injuries.

If, for example, you are unable to work for a year due to a total but temporary disability, and you had previously earned wages totaling $75,000 per year, then in addition to paying your medical bills, workers’ compensation insurance will replace two-thirds of your lost wages, or $50,000.

In all cases, workers’ comp payments are subject to certain limits. For a better assessment of the compensation that you might recover for a work-related back injury, consult with an experienced workers’ comp lawyer, including any of the lawyers at the Berlin Law Firm.

Proving that a Back Injury Happened at Work

Before you collect any workers’ compensation benefits, you and your attorney will need to prove that your back injury is work-related.

Your employer and its workers’ comp insurance company will likely conduct their own investigations to determine that your injuries are more consistent with your activities outside of work than with anything that might happen while you perform your job-related duties.

Proving that your back injury happened at work is more straightforward when:

• You promptly report the work incident where you injured your back to your employer, preferably within 24 hours after it happened.
• Your co-workers and other witnesses support your version of the incident.
• Your employer’s security cameras captured the event that caused your back injury.
• You had an examination by a doctor soon after you suffered the injury, and your doctor is able to provide an opinion that your injury is consistent with a work-related accident.

A back injury that seems minor at first can lead to chronic pain and disability over time. If you do not promptly report the accident that caused your back injury, your employer might argue that your failure to take quick action reflects your own negligence.

Further, when you hire a knowledgeable workers’ compensation attorney immediately after you suspect an injury, your attorney will have a better opportunity to secure important evidence, including security camera footage that your employer could otherwise tape over, to show that your accident happened while you were at work.

Obtain the True Value of Your Workers’ Comp Claim

Here at Berlin Law Firm, we know the stress and anxiety that you may be feeling over your work-related injury. We know the tricks and tactics that insurance companies and employers will pull in order to get you to resign from your job, settle your claim and get your file closed.

We understand that you are dealing with a major life event. You need someone who grasps these issues from your perspective. We will work with you through every step of the process, making sure you get the proper care and treatment you deserve and the proper compensation for your injury.

Contact Berlin Law Firm as soon as you can. Let’s fight fire with fire. Contact us for a free consultation and we will develop a game plan to ensure that you can get every benefit that you are owed.