Common Workplace Injuries That Lead to Successful Legal Claims
Successful legal claims often arise from preventable workplace injuries such as slips and falls, overexertion/back strain, repetitive stress, falling objects, machinery accidents, and exposure-related illnesses. When an injury is tied to unsafe conditions, inadequate training, or employer negligence, workers may be entitled to compensation beyond basic benefits. This article explains the most common injuries behind strong claims, the evidence that helps prove liability, and key steps to protect your rights.
You can get injured on every sort of job, but some jobs are more hazardous than others. These are the jobs that are performed outdoors or require handling heavy machinery. Ideally, a person who has these especially hazardous jobs is covered under workers’ compensation or some other type of insurance. But if they are not, or if the insurer or the employer denies or disputes the worker’s claim, the injured party may feel the need to hire a work injury lawyer. Here are some common workplace injuries that can lead to successful legal claims.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome is one of those injuries that seems minor, but it can really affect your ability to work if it’s not treated. It’s caused when the median nerve that serves part of your hand is compressed. This nerve runs through a structure called the carpal tunnel, which gives the injury its name. It happens when you use your wrist over and over, such as working long hours at a computer.
Sprains and Strains
A sprain happens when a ligament, which is a tough connective tissue that attaches bones to each other, is torn or overstretched. A strain happens when a tendon, which attaches muscles to bones, suffers a similar injury. Strains and sprains can be caused by pushing, lifting or carrying objects that are too heavy for you. These injuries can also be caused when you mishandle an object because you weren’t told how to properly handle it.
Broken Bones
Broken bones sometimes occur when you slip, trip or fall on your job. They can also occur in vehicular accidents if you drive for a living. There are different types of fractures. How they are treated, and how long they cause you to miss work depends on the type. They include:
- Closed fracture. These fractures don’t break the skin.
- Open fracture. These fractures break the skin.
- Angulated fracture. These injuries cause the broken bone to take on an abnormal angle. They can be closed or open, mild or very severe.
- Transverse. Transverse fractures are straight across the bone.
- Spiral. These bone breaks spiral around the shaft of the bone.
- Oblique. Oblique fractures are angled.
- Comminuted. These types of fractures occur when the bone is crushed. They’re more likely to happen in vehicular accidents than trip and fall accidents.
- Impacted. Impacted fractures happen when the jagged ends of the broken bone jam into each other.
Herniated Discs
Herniated discs can occur when you lift something that’s too heavy for you, or you lift it the wrong way. They can also result from repetitive movements and just general wear and tear. Your vertebrae have cartilaginous discs filled with a jelly-like substance between them. When these discs burst, or herniate, the jelly presses on the spinal nerves and cause pain.
Traumatic Brain Injury
This injury, also called TBI, can happen in a traffic accident, when you bang your head on something or when an object falls on your head. A TBI can be direct or indirect. An indirect injury can result in a concussion. The danger with a concussion is that when the brain is injured, it swells and may bleed like every other injured part of your body. However, the swelling and bleeding have nowhere to go. This can further damage your brain to the point where the injury becomes life-threatening.
Another type of traumatic injury is the direct injury, where the skull is actually breached, and the brain is lacerated by foreign objects or even skull fragments.
Neck Strain
There are several types of neck strain, and whiplash is probably the most well-known. Whiplash often happens in jobs that involve driving. You may make a living driving a bus, taxi, delivery service or commercial truck. In whiplash, your head is jolted back and forth because of a collision. Untreated whiplash can cause chronic pain and can restrict the movement of your neck. Healing from this injury can last from a month to as long as half a year, and you may need a physical therapist.
Injuries Caused by Machinery
Unfortunately, many workplace injuries result from workers being pulled into or tangled up in machinery. These injuries can be horrific and result in the worker being permanently incapacitated. Too often, they’re the result of safety procedures being ignored by the employer. Some of these injuries include:
- Amputation. This is when a body part, such as an arm, hand or leg, is removed. The accident alone may have done this. In this case, it’s called a traumatic amputation. If the body part needs to be surgically removed to save the patient’s health or life, it’s called a surgical amputation.
- Avulsion. This is when skin or other soft tissue is torn away from the body. An avulsion can also refer to a knocked-out eye or a tooth.
- Evisceration. This is when a part of an organ protrudes through a wound.
- Lacerations. These are jagged cuts in soft tissue.
- Incisions. These are smooth cuts in soft tissue. They’re often made by an instrument with a sharp, cutting edge, such as a pair of shears.
- Punctures. Punctures are caused by pointed objects pushed through the skin. These wounds are often caused by tools such as ice picks, knives or nails. The problem with punctures is that they can seem minor on the surface but can cause fairly severe internal bleeding. They can also introduce pathogens such as the tetanus bacteria into the body.
Burns
Burns suffered in the workplace can be the result of chemicals, heat or even powerful ultraviolet light. There are three degrees of burn. The first-degree burn is superficial and affects only the topmost layer of skin. The second-degree burn goes through the top layer of skin to the second layer. A third-degree burn, or full-thickness burn, goes through all the layers of skin to the tissues beneath.
Hopefully, you’ll never be the victim of an on-the-job accident. If you are, contacting an experienced work injury lawyer may be in your best interests. An attorney may be able to provide guidance for injured workers.
