Back injuries can happen at any time, and they can cause pain and limit motion for a short time or be life-altering and even lead to paralysis. The difference in severity of a back injury can come down to the timing, frequency, and quality of healthcare after an injury.
Every worker is at risk for a back injury any time moderate lifting is involved, and some jobs — construction workers, nurses, warehouse workers — are notoriously physically demanding. Even just moving the wrong way while moving boxes of paper can lead to a back injury requiring medical attention and counsel from an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. When you have been hurt at work, contact a Greenville workplace back injury lawyer.
The first thing a person should do after getting a back injury is obtain medical help. For severe injuries, a worker may be transported from the workplace immediately to a hospital or other healthcare provider, but for less serious injuries, a person may seek non-emergency medical care.
An employee should report an injury as soon as it occurs or as soon as it is diagnosed, because their employer’s workers’ comp insurance company may have a list of preferred providers, which a worker will need to use for treatment.
Employers can designate which medical providers treat employees for their workers’ compensation claims, so while an employee may initially go to their primary care doctor for diagnosis, the employer may require them to see other doctors for treatment. Their employer’s insurer will have access to the employee’s medical records, so employees should comprehensively describe all injuries, and how they occurred in the workplace or during employment.
Seeking medical care from an independent provider can create hurdles in a workers’ comp case. A Greenville attorney who handles workplace back injuries could help someone file workers’ compensation claims even in complicated circumstances.
Once an employee informs their employer of an injury, the employer is required to notify their insurance carrier. If they fail to do so, an employee can file their claim with the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation Commission (SCWCC) on their own.
In those instances, the employee should seek guidance from a workplace back injury attorney in Greenville. Getting an attorney at the start of the process could help workers avoid some of the headaches that can accompany a claim.
Workers do not get the same type of benefits from workers’ comp they could get from a personal injury lawsuit, but they also do not have to establish the employer is liable in order to get benefits. With few exceptions, as long as the injury was in the scope of their job, workers comp’ should cover it.
Workers can recover for all necessary medical treatment and get money for mileage to travel to medical appointments. They can also recover for lost wages, but the lost wage compensation is only two-thirds of the employee’s weekly salary. To determine the weekly wage, the insurer looks at the employee’s earnings over the last year. When someone has had a raise or promotion, the compensation will actually be less than two-thirds of their wage, but when their income varies seasonally, they will not be penalized if an injury occurs in the off season.
To find out more about potential compensation, schedule a consultation with a Greenville workplace back injury lawyer. They could review your injuries, your recovery trajectory, and other factors to help assess the value of your claim.
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