Unlike most other parts of the body, the spinal cord, which is a group of nerves that stretches the spine from the brain to the tailbone, often cannot heal from severe trauma on its own or even with help from qualified medical professionals. On top of that, the spinal cord is effectively the central superhighway of the central nervous system, so any damage caused by a serious injury may completely and permanently cut off communication between the brain and every part of the body below the injury site.
Given how devastating this sort of damage almost always is, it is especially important for people who get hurt on the job to understand what benefits they could receive through workers’ compensation and then to have help from an experienced workplace catastrophic injury attorney to obtain those benefits. If you have sustained spinal cord trauma in a workplace accident, speaking with a Downey workplace spinal cord injury lawyer should be among your top priorities.
As is the case in most other places, the two most common causes of work-related spinal cord injuries are motor vehicle collisions and accidental falls, particularly those from high heights that lead to landings on hard surfaces. However, this sort of harm can also stem from incidents like unsecured stock falling off a high shelf and hitting a worker on the way down, malfunctions in industrial or construction equipment, and crushing accidents where a worker gets trapped between two heavy objects or surfaces.
Regardless of the specific cause of a spinal cord injury, the important thing when it comes to filing a workers’ comp claim over one is showing that the injury happened specifically because of a job-related accident or job-related working conditions. It will also be necessary for the injured worker to notify their employer in writing as soon as possible after getting hurt and fill out a Workers’ Compensation Claim Form quickly after that, both of which a Downey workplace spinal cord injury attorney could provide irreplaceable assistance with.
Five different types of benefits may be available through a valid workers’ comp claim, but only four are usually applicable to claims based on spinal cord injuries. Those four benefits are as follows:
Death benefits may also or alternatively be available to a worker’s surviving family members in the event a work-related injury directly results in the worker’s premature death, as a workplace spinal cord injury lawyer in Downey could explain in more detail during a consultation.
No amount of money can completely make up for becoming paralyzed or sustaining any other physical disability due to a work-related spinal cord injury. However, workers’ compensation benefits can still be a vital source of financial support in both the short term and the long term after being hurt.
You have assistance available from an expert Downey workplace spinal cord injury lawyer. Call our firm today to discuss your options during a consultation meeting.
