Back Injury
A New York Back Injury Lawyer Who Understands What Victims Are Going Through
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the U.S. Department of Labor and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than a million workers suffer back injuries each year. Over twenty percent of workplace injuries involve back strain of some kind. Workplace back injuries can include shoulder and neck injury, as well as spinal cord injury, since the back involves so many muscles, joints, ligaments and bones. If you have on-the-job back pain or your back aches after doing certain job tasks or movements, you need an experienced New York back injury attorney by your side!
What Caused Your Back Injury at Work?
There are several causes of work-related back injuries. The most common ones include:
- Improper lifting: Bending at the waist instead of the knees often strains the muscles and causes a lower back injury from lifting.
- Repetitive motions: Repetitive bending, twisting, or reaching can lead to a lower back injury, spinal injury, or soft tissue injuries over time.
- Overexertion: Lifting too much weight can place stress on the spine and result in a herniated disc or other serious back injury.
- Slips, trips, and falls: A back injury from a fall can be as minor as bruising or as serious as a spinal fracture.
- Whole-body vibration: Operating heavy equipment, vehicles, or machinery that vibrates can contribute to disc degeneration over time.
Back Injury Red Flags to Watch Out For
There are several warning signs that you should not ignore which may indicate a serious condition requiring prompt medical attention. This often includes:
- Severe or persistent pain
- Radiating pain
- Numbness or tingling
- Difficulty with bladder or bowel control
- Fevers or chills
- Weakness
How to Prove a Back Injury at Work
To prove a back injury at work, you need evidence that clearly links the injury to your job duties or a specific incident that occurred at the workplace. This may include medical records, eyewitness accounts, incident reports, and documentation of any previous back problems.
Our experienced workers’ comp attorneys can investigate the circumstances surrounding your back injury. We can also gather medical records, witness statements, and workplace safety documentation.
What is the Average Payout for a Back Injury at Work?
A back injury at work settlement amount depends on the severity of your injury, the extent of your medical treatment, and the impact it has on your ability to earn a living. This typically ranges anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000. For more severe back injuries, settlement amounts can reach several hundred thousand dollars.
Workplace Back Injury Demands a Strong Workers Compensation Lawyer to Fight For Your Rights
Many movements and duties can cause job-related back injuries, from lifting, carrying, holding and lowering heavy items to twisting, bending over or reaching up to do even minor tasks. You could even put your back out lifting the same inventory boxes you've been stocking on shelves for decades or lifting patients off of gurneys as you've done every day for your entire nursing career. All it takes is one wrong move to give you a strained muscle, slipped disc or torn ligament.
The BLS reports that 80% of back injuries involve lower back pain and that a quarter of those occur due to heavy lifting of some kind. Back injury can be one of many work accident injuries requiring surgery, and frequently happens to construction workers, utility workers, tunnel workers, truckers, even line cooks, teachers, bus drivers and retail industry workers. More than a quarter of all employees filing a workers compensation claim do so for a job-related back injury, costing companies billions of dollars.
A back injury can keep you off the job for weeks and months, but a trusted back injury lawyer in New York can help you get through this tough time. Call Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP toll-free at (800) 692-3717 or contact us online for a free evaluation. We serve communities in New York, including Staten Island, Long Island, Brooklyn, Queens, Westchester and Rockland counties, the Bronx and Manhattan.