If you suffer an injury at your workplace that is your employer’s responsibility, whether you can file suit or not depends on a specific law. You are dealing with a deliberate intent suit instead of a normal negligence lawsuit and this requires a lawyer spending time with you in order to gain full understanding of what happened and why, and if safety rules were broken by your boss. In the case where someone else hurt your back such as an independent contractor or a delivery company, this constitutes a normal negligence lawsuit. Many times the actual premises may not be safe and an example of this might be where electricians are hired to do a low voltage job.
They then get into a high voltage area and are seriously burned or electrocuted, and this requires close examination of all the parameters involved in their injury.
Since back injuries can range from strains to sprains, the most important question will be, “How did you hurt your back?” Sprains and strains will not result in a big lawsuit, but if you are paralyzed and your career is ended, then the lawsuit will be much larger and more complex. We need to evaluate your future and if you will be permanently restricted from doing your work. If your employment involves heavy lifting, but you are restricted from lifting anything over 20 pounds for life, then your career is ended.
This type of accident can happen to anyone at any given time and a good example is a case I handled years ago which involved a simple intersection collision with low speeds of less than 30 miles per hour. That collision paralyzed a woman in her mid-20’s from the chest down for the rest of her life and put her in a wheelchair. The case required consideration for what type of wheelchairs she would need because not all wheelchairs are suited for all terrains. She was able to return to work as a dispatcher because her boss was willing to retrain her for that job and it was one that could be done from a wheelchair, but this case definitely illustrates how, in the blink of an eye, someone’s life can change.
Life altering accidents don’t happen just in heavy industrial powerhouses, chemical plants or airplanes; sometimes the small accidents that can happen in the least suspect places can have a very big impact. A good example of this can be found with car seats and minor fender benders. Sometimes those car seats fail and that failure can leave you paralyzed.
What Type of Settlement can you Expect with a Back Injury?
A settlement depends largely on how much money you will lose in your future. If you can no longer work at all, or if you must accept work as a night security guard making a third to a quarter less than what you were earning before your injury, we will need to get that loss of income back for you as well as the amount of money your future medical care may amount to in your lifetime. All of these factors play a major role in evaluating your case for settlement.
If you have further questions concerning an on-the-job back injury, click on the Contact Us tab at the top of the page or call 855-344-9100.