What Happens If I Hurt My Back At Work?

What Happens If I Hurt My Back At Work?

If you hurt your back at work, you may seek money through a workers’ compensation claim. In some cases, those injured at work can file a lawsuit. Focus on healing your back and protecting your mental health, and hire an Indiana workers’ comp lawyer to oversee your claim or lawsuit.

Back injuries can leave you with little time to deal with insurance companies or handle the other aspects of your claim or lawsuit. Trust a proven workers’ compensation attorney to seek the compensation you need.

Key Takeaways for Work-Related Back Injuries

• Indiana workers’ compensation can provide medical, rehabilitation, and income benefits for qualifying job-related back injuries.
• Report a work-related back injury to your employer promptly so there is a record of when and how it happened.
• Medical records and other documentation can help establish your injury and support your claim.
• An insurance company can dispute or deny a workers’ compensation claim.
• A separate third-party claim can be possible if someone outside your employer caused your back injury.

What To Do After Injuring Your Back at Work in Indiana

After injuring your back at work, seek medical care, report the injury to your employer, preserve relevant documentation, and consider legal help with your claim. A back injury can happen in many professional fields, especially those involving rigorous physical exertion. Once you realize you have suffered an injury, take the following steps.

Seek Medical Attention

Medical attention can’t wait, especially with an injury as complicated as yours.

You should:

1. Follow your employer’s directions for medical care, or seek emergency treatment if necessary
2. Explain how your back injury happened
3. Explain any symptoms you’re experiencing
4. Request medical imaging (this can help document your injury and guide your treatment plan)
5. Request precise instructions from the doctor about how to treat and recover from the back injury.

If you believe the medical care provided by your employer is inadequate, you can seek help from the Indiana Workers’ Compensation Board. You need to have the right providers document your injury in as much detail as possible.

An Indianapolis workers’ comp attorney might even help you find a qualified medical professional who cares for injured workers.

Inform Your Employer About the Injury

Report your back injury to your employer so there is an official record, and the workers’ compensation process can begin. Your employer may need to file a First Report of Injury with the Workers’ Compensation Board and its insurer. 

You need to inform your employer of your injury so:

• Your employer can file the claim
• You establish exactly when and how your injury happened
• Your employer can create an official record of your injury

The insurance company may look for such formal notice of your injury before providing the compensation you deserve. Also, the sooner your employer files the workers’ compensation claim, the sooner your attorney may secure compensation for you.

Find a Lawyer to Pursue Compensation for Your Losses

An Indiana workers’ compensation lawyer can handle the claim or lawsuit while you focus on your health. Your financial health is also important, and legal help can protect your interests during the recovery process. 

Hire a lawyer as soon as possible because:

• You should focus on your health rather than an insurance claim or lawsuit
• Your attorney will immediately protect you during the insurance or legal process
• Your attorney will work hard to obtain fair compensation as soon as possible

Your lawyer may need to gather many types of evidence and documentation right away. When you hire your workers’ compensation lawyer in Indiana, you allow them to start building your case right away.

Keep Any Documentation of Your Accident or Injury

Keep any records connected to your work injury because they can support your claim or lawsuit. As you receive medical treatment and move forward from your accident, you may receive: 

• Incident reports related to your injury
• Medical bills
• Images of injuries
• Other evidence and documentation that is relevant to your claim or lawsuit

Keep anything relevant to your case. Your Indianapolis workers’ comp attorney may use these materials as they build your claim or lawsuit.

Types of Work-Related Back Injuries You Can Seek Compensation For

Work-related back injuries can include fractured vertebrae, sprains and strains, and herniated discs. An injury that arises out of and occurs in the course of your employment may qualify. 

Some of the most common types of back injuries are: 

• Fractured Vertebrae: Every type of vertebral fracture can cause immense pain. These injuries may require a significant recovery period or can even cause disabling symptoms.
• Sprains and Strains: Overstretching muscles, tendons, or ligaments in your back is called a sprain. These injuries can cause a painful chain reaction of inflammation.
• Herniated Discs: Also known as slipped or ruptured discs, herniations occur due to injuries in the padding between vertebrae, causing severe discomfort and pain.

These injuries can result from different circumstances. They can vary in severity and the kinds of symptoms they cause. Your workers’ compensation attorney will consult your doctors to learn about your injuries, medical needs, and the cost of your medical care.

Workers’ compensation cases can also involve occupational disease claims involving illnesses or conditions connected to a person’s work.

The Importance of Hiring a Lawyer After a Work-Related Injury

A lawyer can help protect your workers’ compensation or third-party claim, deal with insurers, gather evidence, and handle litigation if needed. Even if you believe your pain is manageable, you can benefit from hiring a back injury lawyer because: 

The Insurance Company May Lowball or Deny You

Insurance companies can challenge or undervalue work injury claims, making it harder to recover the benefits you seek. While some injured workers undergo a smooth path to compensation, this is not always the case. 

The insurance company can:

• Deny your claim based on policy-related reasons
• Claim that you caused your own injury through horseplay or impairment
• Refuse to cover certain losses (like medical treatment)
• Offer significantly less compensation than you deserve

Work injury lawyers are familiar with these tactics, which are not rare. Your lawyer will have several tactics for addressing these actions by the insurance company.

You May Need To File a Lawsuit (or Even Go to Trial)

You may need to file a third-party lawsuit if someone other than your employer caused your work injury through negligence. Victims of third-party negligence may sue those third parties.

Your attorney can:

• Draft and file your lawsuit
• Negotiate with liable parties
• Proceed to court, if necessary

Lawsuits are complex, and lawyers have the necessary training and experience to handle them.

Recovery Is Always the Priority

Your recovery should remain the priority while your lawyer handles the legal and insurance work. Whether you are disabled or you will recover from your injuries, nobody can care for your health as well as you can. 

If you don’t decide to prioritize your physical, psychological, and emotional health, you may find that recovery stalls or regresses.

When you hire a back injury lawyer to help, you:

• Have more time to pursue the many treatments for back injuries
• Can rest rather than worry about dealing with insurance companies or building your claim
• May recover more quickly because you are avoiding added stress and sticking to your treatment plan

Ideally, you’ll heal and return to work as soon as possible. If your lawyer succeeds, you’ll have the financial support to move forward from your work injury.

Financial Support for Your Case 

Your chosen law firm can advance certain costs and expenses related to your case. The financial uncertainty that results from an injury may cause just as much stress.

Your chosen law firm may provide financial support for your case by:

• Spending significant time and energy crafting your case
• Advancing administrative expenses like filing fees
• Paying upfront for experts to reconstruct your accident, testify about your injuries, or assist in other ways
• Advancing litigation and trial costs

You may find this help with case expenses priceless, especially considering the existing financial stress you’re experiencing.

Experience with Back Injury Cases

An Indiana workers’ comp lawyer’s experience with back injury cases can help them handle claim issues and legal challenges more effectively. Injured workers deserve to focus on their health above all else. Let a proven lawyer take your case for compensation off your hands.

Ways to Receive Compensation for a Work-Related Back Injury

You can seek compensation for a work-related back injury through a workers’ compensation claim or, in some cases, a third-party lawsuit. Your workers’ compensation lawyer will consider the reason for your accident when they advise you to either file a workers’ compensation claim or a third-party liability lawsuit.

A lawyer must have all relevant information about your case to advise you properly. They’ll determine whether your employer has workers’ compensation insurance. They’ll also consider whether a third party’s negligence led to your injury. 

A third-party claim might make additional compensation and damages available to you. Once your lawyer has the necessary information, they will explain their case strategy.

Damages That Can Result From a Third-Party Claim for a Back Injury

A third-party back injury claim can seek compensation for medical bills, lost income, reduced earning power, pain and suffering, and disability-related losses. The effects of a back injury can limit your movement, cause severe pain, and diminish your quality of life. 

Medical Bills

Back injury victims may need:

• Ambulance transport from the scene of an accident
• Emergency medical care
• Back surgery
• Physical therapy
• Care from medical specialists
• Other medical services

The cost of medical care is notoriously high. Your attorney will seek compensation for the direct cost of your injury-related medical care.

Lost Income

A third-party back injury claim can seek compensation for income you lost because of your injury. Your back injury lawyer will measure the professional cost of your injury. 

Diminished Earning Power

A third-party claim can seek compensation for reduced earning power if your back injury limits what you can earn. Your attorney will evaluate any pay difference and seek appropriate compensation from the liable parties.

If you have any other professional damages, such as the loss of opportunities for overtime pay and promotion, your attorney will include these damages in your case.

Pain and Suffering

A third-party back injury claim can seek compensation for pain and suffering caused by the injury.

Your pain and suffering may include:

• Acute and chronic pain from your back injury
• Psychological distress
• Emotional anguish
• Lost quality of life
• Depression (which may result from your chronic pain and inability to live life normally)

Attorneys know that the psychological and emotional effects of a back injury can be severe. Your legal team will partner you with a mental health professional who can accurately diagnose your pain and suffering.

Disability-Related Damages

A third-party claim can seek disability-related damages if your back injury causes lasting limitations or added costs, including:

• In-home caregiver services
• Long-term rehabilitation
• Medical equipment costs
• The cost of installing ramps or other features in your home
• The cost of a disability-friendly vehicle

You may also need lifelong income replacement because of a disabling back injury. Trust your attorney to calculate the entire cost of your injury.

How an Indiana Work Injury Lawyer Will Fight for You

An Indiana work injury lawyer can gather evidence, document your damages, negotiate with insurers or other liable parties, and handle a lawsuit or trial when necessary. You can rest while your lawyer takes over every detail of your claim.

Collecting Evidence of Your Work-Related Injury 

Your legal team will secure any evidence relevant to your workers’ compensation claim or lawsuit. Witness accounts of a work-related accident, video footage of the accident, incident reports detailing your injury, and any other evidence will become part of your case.

Documenting and Valuing Your Damages

Your Indiana work injury lawyer will build a detailed record of your damages.

Proof of those damages may include:

• X-rays and other medical images showing your back injuries
• Doctors’ diagnoses of your injuries
• Medical bills detailing the cost of your medical care
• Experts’ testimony about your future medical costs, lost income, and other damages
• A mental health expert’s diagnosis of your pain and suffering
• Past income records detailing your lost income

If any other documentation helps your case, your attorney will gather and incorporate it into your claim or lawsuit.

Negotiating a Settlement with the Insurance Company (or Another Liable Party)

Your lawyer will be the one negotiating with the insurance company (in a workers’ compensation case). If you sue liable parties, your lawyer will negotiate with those parties or their attorneys. In either case, your attorney will bring all relevant documentation and demand the money you deserve.

Leading Any Necessary Lawsuit

If you file a lawsuit, your attorney will oversee every step. From filing the suit to negotiating with liable parties and evaluating settlement offers, every responsibility will be your lawyer’s to bear.

Completing Any Necessary Trial

If you file a lawsuit against a negligent third party and the case goes to trial, your lawyer can present your case and seek fair compensation from a jury.

FAQ for a Back Injury at Work

Don’t Wait To Hire Your Indiana Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

You have plenty to worry about after suffering a work-related back injury. Allow your lawyer to worry about securing the compensation you deserve. Klezmer Maudlin PC will waste no time starting your case, so contact our Indianapolis workers’ compensation attorneys today at (317) 569-9644 or via our online form.

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