If you have suffered a back injury on the job, you are not alone. When applying for worker’s compensation benefits in Georgia, employees report back injuries more often than any other type. This makes sense, as back injuries can occur across various career fields. An architect or construction worker could fall from scaffolding. A nurse could slip on a wet floor. A delivery driver or kindergarten teacher could be injured lifting or stooping.
If your injury occurred at work, Georgia holds all employers responsible for covering your medical bills and possibly the wages you lose while you recuperate. However, filing a claim for a workplace injury can be extremely difficult, and many claims are denied the first time around.
If you sustained a back or spine injury because you were doing your job, a Gainesville workplace back injury lawyer from our firm could help you get a workers’ compensation settlement. Contact Smith Hulsey today to discuss your legal options with a knowledgeable attorney.
Jobs requiring repetitive motions or having employees sit, stand, or squat for long periods can cause strained back muscles and slipped discs. Employees involved in automobile accidents while traveling for work-related reasons can also suffer back and neck injuries.
Some other common back injuries that happen at work are:
Back injuries can worsen if, for instance, they are caused by repetitive motions, or if employees continue to work while injured out of fear that their employer will retaliate against them. In this situation, retaliation can include termination, harassment, and insisting that the employee perform menial, unnecessary work.
Employees can be terminated while collecting workers’ compensation benefits because Georgia is an at-will state. However, employers cannot terminate employees because they file a workers’ compensation claim. Employees who need help filing a claim, or believe they were terminated because they filed one, should contact a Gainesville attorney after suffering a workplace back injury.
Employees injured on the job are likely thinking about the pain, and how much the injury is going to cost them in medical bills and lost wages. Thankfully, Georgia’s comprehensive workers’ compensation system is meant to pay for injured worker’s medical bills and keep at least partial paychecks coming. Workers deemed disabled could be granted partial or permanent disability.
Georgia law requires injured workers to notify their supervisor or HR within 30 days after a workplace accident. Failure to do so can complicate the process and result in a claim denial.
Employees should also seek immediate medical attention from their treating physician or through an emergency room. This visit begins the documentation needed to support a claim. The workers’ compensation insurer provides a list of authorized physicians from which employees pick to see in compliance with the program.
Georgia employees must accept light-duty work when treating physicians allow it. Employees should only return to work with a doctor’s approval.
In order to protect the right to collect on a claim, it is wise to consult a skilled Gainesville workplace back injury attorney.
Under Georgia law, you are entitled to file a claim for workers’ compensation if your back injury occurs at work. However, employers are not eager to see insurance rates increase, and may threaten you. Insurance companies do not want to pay out a lot of money, so they may try to downplay the severity of your injuries, and even deny your claim.
In this situation, call us. At Smith Hulsey, we are experienced with the workers’ compensation system and will not let your employer, or their insurance company, take advantage of you. Call a Gainesville workplace back injury lawyer today.
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