Suffering from a back injury can be incredibly difficult to deal with. Back injuries can limit your ability to move freely, pick up items off the floor, or drive a vehicle. However, if these limitations are the result of an incident that happened at work, you have the right to pursue benefits through a workers’ compensation insurance claim.
A Joliet workplace back injury lawyer may be able to help you obtain appropriate payments. This could include seeking out benefits through a workers’ compensation insurance policy or pursuing a personal injury lawsuit if your employer’s negligence contributed to your injury.
A wide variety of jobs may place strain on a person’s back. For example, even sitting in an office chair for most of the day can cause the spine to misalign or disks to swell. In addition, repetitive stress injuries can result from picking items off the floor. However, back injuries may also result from single work-related events. For instance, being knocked to the floor, motor vehicle collisions, falling products, and slips and falls could all cause back injuries that are extremely painful and limit a person’s ability to return to work. Back injuries are surprisingly common in all Joliet workplaces. Anyone who performs tasks like bending, lifting, or pushing could strain their back.
These injuries can significantly impact a person’s overall health and ability to earn a living. Likewise, injuries are notoriously painful, often requiring long-term care. In some cases, even a slipped disk could prevent a worker from performing their job duties. More severe examples could lead to intense surgeries, leaving individual completely disabled.
A tenacious attorney in Joliet can explore the reason for a worker’s injury and make the necessary connection to the performance of one’s job duties.
According to 820 ILCS 305, all employers statewide must obtain a valid worker’s compensation insurance policy. These policies provide a variety of benefits to workers who cannot return to their jobs due to a workplace injury. However, employees must connect their injuries to a work-related task in order to collect payments.
These payments reimburse an injured worker for any medical treatment costs related to their injury, including ambulance rides, emergency room care, surgeries, and rehabilitation. Affected workers may also receive partial wage reimbursement for all temporary disabilities. In general, this will amount to 2/3 of their average weekly wage prior to an injury. If the injury is permanent, lump sum payments may be available to compensate a worker for any long-lasting damage.
A Joliet workplace back injury attorney could provide more information about the consequences of these injuries and how they may impact a worker’s legal rights.
Sadly, a back injury has the potential to impact every part of your life. However, if your injury resulted from a job duty, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. In other cases, third parties or you’re your employer may be directly responsible to provide compensation to cover your losses.
A Joliet workplace back injury lawyer is ready to fight for you. They are prepared to evaluate the reason for the injury, explore how the event has impacted your life, and pursue appropriate legal action that seeks out the compensation that you deserve. Reach out to them today to discover more.