Workers’ Compensation – Back Injury

The Law Office of James M. Hoffmann has a strong history of helping workers with back injuries get the medical attention and financial compensation they need.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, back injuries are the nation’s number one workplace safety problem. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that more than one million individuals suffer from back injuries annually. Although OSHA has helped employers and employees reduce back injuries, no approach to this issue has eliminated the risks. Many workers injure their backs because their job requires lifting. Factors such as a person’s age, body size, state of health, and overall physical fitness have a lot to do with whether or not they get injured.

Back injuries can be serious. In addition to needing expensive and ongoing medical treatment, they can affect one’s ability to perform routine work-related tasks. Individuals who have injured their backs must be able to rest and allow their bodies to recover since back injuries can worsen with time. Serious injuries can be debilitating and require surgery. Sprains or strains may need several days to heal; more severe injuries, however, can require extensive medical treatment.

Many workers have suffered herniated or ruptured disks, fractures to the vertebrae, nerve impingement, strains or sprains, and many other types of back injuries.

Causes and Prevention of Workplace Back Injuries

Leading Cause of Back Injuries:

• Lifting is one of the primary causes of back injuries in the workplace.

Preventability and Statistics:

• Studies indicate that nearly one-third of workplace back injuries could be prevented.

Employer Responsibilities:

• Providing proper training for employees
• Enforcing adherence to safety standards.
• Eliminating or reducing risk factors wherever possible.

Guidelines for High-Risk Jobs:

• Jobs with a higher risk of back injury, such as construction, should follow specific guidelines.
• These guidelines aim to reduce risk and enhance employee safety.

What To Do After a Work-Related Back Injury

You may be entitled to worker’s compensation benefits if you have sustained a back injury while at work. If an additional negligent party, such as a negligent co-worker, is involved, you may be able to receive additional compensation.

If you experience a back injury at work, you should immediately notify your employer and seek medical treatment. Back injuries should be treated as soon as possible so they do not worsen over time. Many employees hope the injury will improve with time, continue performing duties at work, and avoid seeing a medical professional. This is inadvisable and could increase the severity of the injury.

It is important that your doctor take the time to diagnose your condition properly and document each step of the treatment process.

Serious back injuries, such as spinal injuries, can be devastating and can affect the rest of your life. These ongoing injuries can require surgery and rehabilitation and can mean you cannot return to your former position, which would require new job placement and subsequent vocational training.

Employees can suffer many kinds of work-related injuries. Back injuries are among some of the most common and can be some of the most painful and debilitating medical problems a person will ever have to experience. If you have suffered a back injury at work, you may need to be able to prove that it was caused by a task or accident while at work. It is important that you let your employer know immediately that an accident has occurred. They will get in contact with their workers’ compensation carrier and determine whether or not they will provide medical care.

The worker’s compensation insurer often denies the employee benefits, claiming that the worker cannot identify a specific event or accident that caused the back injury. If you or someone you know has experienced a situation like this, it is important to seek legal help from an experienced Workers’ Compensation Lawyer.

Types of Back Injuries:

• Herniated, bulging, or slipped discs
• Back spasms
• Chronic back pain
• Spinal cord damage
• Lumbar disc and cervical disc fractures
• Pinched nerves

Some people develop back problems over time through repetitive stress. Other injuries may result from a slip or fall, a vehicle accident, or a lifting incident. Back injuries may vary in severity. Some may be minor, while others are more serious situations involving long-term medical treatment or disability.

Workers Compensation Benefits for Back Injuries

Worker’s Compensation Laws are there to protect individuals who sustain work-related injuries. The laws are different depending on which state a person works in. Depending on the details of your case, in Missouri, some of the benefits may include:

• Payment of full medical expenses
• Temporary disability
• Permanent disability
• Compensation for loss of earning capacity

Missouri Workers’ Compensation Settlements

Truck Driver Lower Back Injury:

• Location: Springfield, Missouri.
• Injury: Sustained a lower back disc injury from slipping and falling off the truck.

Construction Worker’s Lower Back Injury Settlement:

• Incident: Involved in a car accident while on the job.
• Injuries: Cervical disc herniation; later developed lower back issues with disc bulges and spondylolisthesis.
• Treatment: Covered cost of disc replacement surgery.
• Outcome: Awards from the Second Injury Fund, underinsured motorist, and liability policies.

Security Officer’s Workers’ Compensation Settlement:

• Incident: Sustained a herniated disc during a self-defense training session.
• Employer Response: Initially denied the injury claim.
• Settlement: Case settled during trial.

Boeing Worker’s Second Injury Fund Verdict:

• Background: Lower back issues were developed during maintenance work.
• Treatment: Lumbar disc replacement and settled carpal tunnel claims.
• Outcome: Trial award for permanent partial disability.

Construction Worker’s Permanent Partial Disability Settlement:

• Incident: Fell from scaffolding, fracturing lower back, pelvis, and ankles.
• Treatment: Required ankle surgery.
• Outcome: Returned to full duty; settled for permanent partial disability.

Maintenance Worker’s Settlement:

• Injury: Injured lower back during work, necessitating L5 disc replacement surgery.
• Outcome: Returned to work post-surgery.

Back Pain Settlement from Rear-End Collision:

• Incident: Client suffered back pain and loss of consciousness after a rear-end collision.
• Outcome: Settlement reached; underinsured coverage claim pending.

Lumbar Strain Settlement:

• Incident: Cervical and lumbar strains from multiple car collisions.
• Treatment: Treated with epidural steroid injections.
• Outcome: Settlement achieved.

Roofer’s Disk Herniation Settlement:

• Incident: Experienced a C5-6 disc herniation while carrying 50 lbs of slate.
• Treatment: Cervical fusion surgery performed.
• Outcome: Employee returned to work.

Combined Workers’ Compensation and Car Accident Settlement:

• Injuries: Fractured pelvis and lumbar transverse process fractures.
• Outcome: Settlement covered both workers’ compensation and car accident claims.

Workers’ Compensation for Lumbar Fusion:

• Outcome: Settlement reached for lumbar fusion surgery case.

Workers’ Compensation Settlement for Lower Back Surgery:

• Outcome: Settlement reached for lower back surgery.

Workers’ Compensation for Disputed Low Back Injury:

• Outcome: Settlement achieved for a disputed low back injury.