According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than a million workers nationwide suffer from a back injury yearly, accounting for nearly one in five work-related injuries and illnesses, making back injuries one of the most commonplace workplace injuries.
Whether you suffer a back injury from a workplace accident or from repetitive trauma, stress, or strain over time, back injuries can often be debilitating. Workers who suffer from back injuries find it difficult and even impossible to do their jobs and often report a diminished quality of life. Studies show that back pain has long been a leading factor in work loss and limitations in the United States.
California workers who suffer from work-related back injuries generally qualify for workers’ compensation benefits to cover medical expenses and a portion of lost wages.
Defining Back Injuries
There are all different kinds of injuries that can ultimately be labeled as back injuries. Some back injuries result from specific events, like workplace accidents. These accidents could include falling off a ladder or experiencing a slip and fall on a wet floor. Others result from repetitive trauma caused by repeated twisting, lowering, lifting, or even sitting or standing for prolonged periods.
California workers whose job involves physical labor, including healthcare workers, construction workers, and factory workers, face an increased risk of back injuries from accidents as well as from repetitive strains. For example, factory and construction workers risk serious back injuries or spinal fractures after falling from or being struck by heavy equipment. Likewise, healthcare workers risk back strain from lifting or moving patients.
Even workers with sedentary jobs involving little physical labor are at risk. For example, office workers experience back problems from sitting at their desks for days on end, while long-haul truck drivers, who spend long hours behind the wheel, risk developing back injuries.
Common workplace back injuries include:
- Herniated Discs
- Nerve Compression Syndrome
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Paraplegia
- Back Strains
- Back Sprains
Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim for Back Injuries in California
If you have suffered a work-related back injury, you can file a workers’ compensation claim, and your employer’s insurance carrier will generally cover any medical expenses you have as well as some of the wages you might have lost due to an inability to work. However, there are quite a few hurdles that a worker needs to overcome to collect workers’ compensation benefits for a back injury.
The biggest challenge in a California back injury workers’ comp claim is having to prove that the injury was related to work and wasn’t the result of an incident that occurred outside of work or because of some pre-existing back condition, as your employer or their insurance company may want to argue.
While most California workers who suffer from a back injury usually receive the compensation they deserve, it is not uncommon to have a claim initially denied. A California workers’ compensation attorney will help you navigate the workers’ comp claim process to receive the compensation you deserve. In fact, injured workers in California who hire an attorney to help guide them during the workers’ comp process generally receive a higher compensation rate than individuals without a lawyer.
It is not uncommon for an employer’s workers’ comp insurance carrier to deny a claim arguing that the employee’s back injury isn’t work-related. When this happens, a California workers’ compensation attorney will advocate for you and help you get the compensation you deserve. Even when you have a pre-existing condition resulting from some prior injury, new injuries can still be covered under workers’ comp in California. In other situations, accusations of a pre-existing condition can easily be debunked by demonstrating that doing your job was the actual cause of your back injury.
The experienced team of workers’ compensation attorneys from Aoudi Law has the experience necessary to ensure that workers who suffer on-the-job back injuries get the compensation that they deserve, even when the insurance company works to deny their claims.
The workers’ compensation attorneys at Aoudi Law have helped countless California employees whose workers’ compensation claims were denied by insurance companies and claims managers. The professional staff at Aoudi Law are experts in California workers’ compensation law.
Call or text 714-386-9874 today for a free consultation.
