Decatur Back & Neck Injury Lawyer
Georgia Workers’ Compensation
Back and neck injuries can cause pain and disability for weeks, months, or even years. Manual laborers are prone to neck and back injuries in single, traumatic accidents as well as long-term exposure to debilitating work conditions, which can also injure non-manual employees from truck drivers to office workers.
Treatment for a back or neck injury is likely to include significant time off, duty restrictions, long-term treatment and physical therapy, or surgery. Your employer (and their workers’ comp insurance company) is not likely to be thrilled about giving you the time off you need to recuperate or paying for expensive surgery or a lengthy course of treatment. The quick fix they offer might not be in your best interest. To make sure you get the right treatment and the right level of compensation for your injury, review your claim with an experienced Georgia workers’ compensation attorney. The Decatur back & neck injury lawyers at the O’Connell Law Firm are here to answer your questions and make sure you are being treated fairly. Give us a call at 404-410-0034 for a free consultation regarding your case.
Back Injuries in Decatur Workplaces
There are so many ways workers can hurt their backs that it’s no wonder back injuries are the second leading type of injury in the workplace. Some of the main causes of work-related back injuries are:
Traumatic Events
- Slipping on a slippery surface
- Tripping over an object on the floor
- A fall from heights
- Getting struck by a falling object
- Lifting a heavy object
Repetitive Movements
- Twisting
- Turning
- Bending
- Carrying
- Overexertion
- Long-haul trucking
- Sitting at a desk
Back injuries can be extremely painful and render the worker virtually immobile for a period of time. Long-term results can include chronic pain, paralysis, and decreased mobility. The range of back injuries can include, among other conditions:
- Inflammation in the back muscles and ligaments
- Lumbar strain
- Pinched nerves
- A herniated disc in the lumbar spine
- Vertebral fractures
- Spondylosis
Back injuries can often be prevented if workers are given the proper equipment, such as belts, hoists and pulleys, ergonomic chairs, desks and workspaces, time to move and stretch, and proper training and supervision. Regardless of what was provided or not provided, any work-related back injury should be compensated with workers’ comp benefits. Medical care might include prescription drugs, including pain medications and steroid injections, massage and physical therapy, or chiropractic treatment.
Surgery may also be called for to treat a ruptured disc or other conditions. Back surgeries could involve laminectomies or the insertion of stabilization devices, discectomies, or spinal fusion, among others. If your doctor recommends one form of surgery or treatment and the insurer wants you to have something different, consider who has your best interests at heart and who is looking after their bottom line. Call the O’Connell Law Firm if you think the benefits offered to you are not the ones you truly need.
Neck Injuries on the Job
A slip, trip or fall can cause a broken neck which, as bad as it sounds, is not the worst type of neck injury one can suffer. True, vertebral fractures in the cervical spine are some of the most challenging breaks to treat. Still, if treated properly, broken bones in the neck can heal in a matter of weeks or months without presenting long-term difficulties. A more severe neck injury would be one that causes nerve damage. When a nerve in the cervical spine is impinged, bruised, torn or cut, the result can be long-term or permanent paralysis, either partial or complete and potentially immobilizing the victim from the neck down.
It is critical after a possible neck injury to seek emergency medical treatment to stabilize the area and perform the proper diagnostic tests to determine the extent of the injury, including x-rays, MRIs and CT scans. Many times, the insurance company does not want to authorize these diagnostic studies because the insurer does not want to pay for it and does not want to know the true extent of the injury. Nevertheless, you shouldn’t let anything get in the way of your health and receiving the care and compensation you need and deserve. Call O’Connell Law Firm after a neck injury on the job in Decatur if you are concerned you are not getting the benefits to which you are entitled.
Decatur Workers’ Compensation Lawyers
It can be hard to prove that a back or neck injury was work-related unless the injury accompanied some documented accident on the job. Otherwise, the insurer may be quick to claim some age-related degenerative disease is to blame and the injury is not compensable.
For help getting workers’ comp benefits after a back or neck injury on the job in Decatur, call the Georgia workers’ compensation attorneys at the O’Connell Law Firm at 404-410-0034 for a free consultation regarding your claim.
