Employee suffering back injury from fall in the stairs.

A workplace back injury can leave you in serious pain and unable to earn a living or live your life to its fullest. While you may be entitled to benefits through Georgia’s workers’ compensation system, navigating the bureaucracy to secure those benefits can be confusing and time-consuming.

Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. An Athens workers’ comp attorney can pursue the compensation you deserve after a workplace back injury, leaving you free to heal and recuperate. Contact the team at R. Alan Cleveland, LLC today to learn more in a free initial consultation.

What Are Common Types of Workplace Back Injuries?

There are many types of workplace back injuries, some of which are associated more closely with certain jobs and industries than others. Here are some of the most common:

  • Strains and sprains
  • Whiplash
  • Herniated discs
  • Bulging discs
  • Pinched nerves
  • Sciatic back pain
  • Sacroiliac joint pain
  • Lumbar injury
  • Spinal cord injury

Back injuries can have various symptoms, including general pain or tenderness, radiating pain in the limbs, and muscle spasms. They can also cause limited mobility, such as difficulty standing, walking, lifting, and bending. Our Athens workers’ compensation lawyer can help.

What Are the Most Frequent Causes of Workplace Back Injuries?

Back injuries are a type of workplace injury that can occur in almost any setting, from office and retail environments to construction and manufacturing. Some of the most common causes of work-related back injuries include:

A key component of your workers’ compensation claim is proving the injury occurred at work. A workers’ comp attorney can collect and review evidence tying your injuries to your job conditions or a workplace accident.

Does Georgia Workers’ Compensation Cover Back Injuries?

Georgia’s workers’ compensation program will cover injuries that happen on the job. If you injured your back at work and are an employee, the injury should be covered by workers’ comp. However, there are some exceptions. For example, your benefits could be denied if you were under the influence of alcohol or drugs, not following the safety guidelines, or engaging in horseplay or a personal fight at the time.

What Should I Do If I Have Injured My Back at Work?

The first thing to do if you suffer a workplace back injury is to report it to your employer. You’ll also want to take pictures of the conditions at work that caused the accident.

Be sure to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. Not only does getting medical care help your physical recovery, but it also strengthens your workers’ comp case. Be sure to tell the treating physician that you are seeing them because of a work-related back injury.

You should also reach out to an Athens back injury lawyer with experience handling workers’ comp cases. They can help you through the process and fight to protect your rights.

What Evidence Can Help Prove My Back Injury Happened at Work?

Your attorney will review the evidence of your case to prove the injury occurred while you were on the job. Specifically, they might use:

  • Photographs of the accident scene
  • Video footage of the incident
  • Your own account of the events
  • The testimony of anyone who witnessed the accident

How Soon Should I Notify My Employer of My Injury?

If you’re injured in an accident and require immediate care, notify your employer of your injury as soon as possible after you’ve been treated. In the meantime, have a coworker or supervisor inform your employer of your injury.

If you don’t require emergency medical attention, report the injury to your employer immediately, both verbally and in writing. Failure to notify within 30 days could jeopardize your benefits.

What Benefits Does Georgia Workers’ Comp Pay?

Georgia workers’ compensation benefits pay for your necessary medical care and offset part of your lost wages while you can’t work or work in a reduced capacity. The amount of wage replacement benefits you may receive depends on how long you’re unable to work and the extent of your injury.

Workers’ comp medical benefits pay for all the care and treatment you require following your back injury. This includes emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, surgery, medications, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and more. If you need vocational rehab because your injury makes you unable to do your former job, workers’ comp helps pay for this expense.

Workers’ compensation also pays to retrain injured workers who cannot return to their old employment, as well as death benefits for the families when workplace injuries prove fatal.

How Long Can I Stay on Workers’ Comp in Georgia?

As an injured Georgia worker, you’re entitled to up to 400 weeks of weekly wage-replacement benefit payments.  But these benefits do not fully replace your lost wages.  If a catastrophic injury results in permanent disability, these benefits may last the rest of your life. If you return to work with restrictions or limitations on your duties, your benefits may be reduced. Your payments may be stopped if you don’t have restrictions or limitations.

Medical benefits under workers’ comp are also available for up to 400 weeks, although these may be extended for the remainder of your life if your injury was catastrophic.

What Should I Do If My Workers’ Comp Claim Is Denied?

You can appeal a denied claim by petitioning the State Board of Workers’ Compensation for a hearing. An Athens back injury attorney can help you through this process, gather additional supporting documents for your claim, and represent you at your hearings.

Contact an Athens, GA Workers’ Comp Attorney

Did you suffer a workplace back injury in Athens, GA? The team at R. Alan Cleveland, LLC can help you demand the benefits you deserve. When you trust us with your case, we’ll put our knowledge and decades of experience to work on your behalf. We understand how this complicated system works and how to pursue our clients’ benefits effectively and efficiently. Contact us today for a free consultation with an Athens workers’ comp lawyer who will always put your needs first.