I Injured My Spinal Cord at Work: Now What?

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Though there are many detrimental injuries that people could sustain in their lives, some of the most feared injuries are those related to the spinal cord. Everyone has heard stories of people who have forever lost their ability to walk due to these types of mishaps, and even for those who don't lose this ability, they could spend the rest of their lives in intense pain. For this reason, it's important for every person, regardless of what industry they work in, to understand these types of injuries, how they occur and how they should react if they ever sustain one on the job.

Ways People Injure their Spinal Cords

There are numerous ways that people can injure their spinal cords while at work. Forty percent of spinal cord injuries are caused by motor vehicle collisions, so if a person is involved in an occupation that requires extensive driving, their chances of suffering this type of injury is elevated above the hazards of other occupations. Unfortunately, jobs involving motor vehicles don't have a monopoly on spinal cord injuries.

Many people who experience spinal cord injuries at work do so through slip-and-falls. These can occur quite frequently in the food service industry or any other industry that involves working on potentially slippery surfaces. Unfortunately, another 15 percent of all spinal cord injuries occur as a direct result of violence. This means that security guards, police, bouncers and even retail workers employed in high crime areas can face a spinal cord injury during their daily employee routine. Anyone who has suffered this type of injury at work should contact a back injury lawyer NY or Los Angeles based that has many professionals who can help guide you through the process.



Problems related to Spinal Cord Injuries



Sadly, pain isn't the only issue that can arise from a spinal cord injury. Some people actually start having bowel control issues immediately following their injury. The majority of their digestive tract remains unchanged, but they often embarrassingly lose control of their bowels. Certain damage to the spinal cord can also cause a person bladder control issues. The loss of bladder control is definitely unenviable, but it can also lead to urinary tract infections. 



After a Spinal Cord Injury

Anyone who sustains a back injury on the job needs to report it to their employer immediately if they hope to be compensated for their injury. Workers' compensation provides financial recompense for employees who are injured on the job, and this is true regardless of who is at fault for the injury. In the case of any back injury, however, and especially when it turns out to be a spinal cord injury, getting an attorney is almost a necessity.



Spinal cord injuries can lead to years of problems, and some of these issues may not even arise until years later in life. Unfortunately, workers' compensation insurance companies and most businesses know about this, and to avoid paying what they should, they'll often offer a quick settlement to get out of their long-term commitments. Practiced attorneys can often prevent this from occurring. 



Spinal cord injuries can be detrimental, so when a person sustains one at their job and is then unable to work because of it, their life can be seriously affected. Obviously, the best thing that a person can do is follow safety procedures to ensure that they lessen the possibilities of these injuries, but when they sustain them anyway, it's important to handle the situation correctly the first time around. Employers know that they may end up paying serious compensation when workers experience spinal cord injuries, so it's important to have an attorney just in case the employer or insurance company tries to reduce the amount an injured employee should receive.

Kelly Kovacic, a paralegal, who understands that those who have suffered injuries at work have many problems to work through besides the physical injury. It is important to contact a back injury lawyer NY based that has many professionals like the attorneys from The Perecman Firm, PLLC who can help you reclaim your life, especially, if the injury was caused by the negligence or the fault of another.