You should never ignore neck injuries on the job. Even seemingly minor injuries like whiplash or neck soreness can lead to months of physical therapy. Serious neck injuries can result in partial or full paralysis or death.
If you suffered a neck injury at work, you could pursue a workers’ compensation claim for medical care, lost income, and more. The Florida workers’ compensation lawyers at Rosenberg & Rosenberg can review your work injury details and help you through the claim process. We offer free consultations and can assist you in Spanish or Creole, so call now.
Neck injuries can arise from repeated motion over time or from an injury or trauma to the neck. Common reasons to seek workers’ compensation for neck injuries in Florida include the following:
Repetitive movement, especially lifting and reaching over your head, can lead to stress injuries in the neck. Workers can suffer from pulled muscles, soft tissue damage, tendonitis, and nerve damage when the arms, neck, and shoulder are under constant strain.
Over time, neck injuries can become very painful and debilitating. You may have trouble turning your head or rotating your shoulders. Pinched nerves from neck inflammation can cause numbness, tingling, and shooting pain down your arms.
Overexertion of the neck muscles can lead to muscle strains, sprains, and other soft tissue damage. Lifting objects that are too heavy, especially if you are lifting them overhead, can lead to overexertion injuries in your neck, shoulders, and back.
When you overexert your muscles, even light lifting or other movements can further injure the sensitive muscles and tendons in your neck. Rather than risk further damage, seek medical assistance right away.
Even without frequent lifting, bending, or twisting, neck injuries can still occur. Poor ergonomic alignment in the neck, shoulders, back, and wrists is a common cause of neck injury for people who work at computers or workstations. Awkward body postures and lack of ergonomic support, such as appropriate chairs and cushions, can also lead to neck injuries.
Proving that ergonomic injuries occurred due to work activities can be a challenge. Our workers’ compensation attorneys in Florida can help you gather the evidence you need.
If your work requires you to drive, whether you are operating equipment on site or driving between work locations, you could seek compensation for injuries you suffer in a work-related vehicle accident. Whiplash, pinched nerves, slipped discs, and bone fractures are a few of the serious neck injuries you could suffer in a motor vehicle crash.
Some workers’ comp insurance carriers will fight motor vehicle accident claims, asserting that it was not a workplace injury if you were in your car. Our legal team can help you prove that the accident occurred while you were on the job so you can recover the compensation you need.
Direct trauma to the neck can be extremely dangerous and even fatal. These injuries are more common in settings like construction, agriculture, or factories where workers face risks of being struck by objects or falling.
Injuries from contact trauma may include blunt force or piercing. Since the neck contains many critical and sensitive body parts, such as the larynx, trachea, esophagus, blood vessels, tendons, and nerves, traumatic neck injuries can lead to life-threatening conditions, including paralysis, heavy bleeding, and blocked blood flow to the brain.
Spinal cord injuries are particularly debilitating because the damage they inflict is often permanent. A cervical spine injury—meaning an injury to the vertebrae from the base of your skull to your shoulders—can cause permanent weakness, loss of feeling, and loss of body function in all areas of the body below the point of injury.
Workers’ compensation claims for such injuries can be complex. Let us help you recover the workers’ compensation benefits to which you are entitled following a work-related cervical spine injury or any other neck injury. Call Rosenberg & Rosenberg now for a free consultation.
The workers’ compensation filing process is typically handled by the employer, but you have an obligation to report your injury as soon as possible. Technically, you have 30 days from the date of your injury to report to your employer, but it is best to contact them right away and seek medical treatment.
Prompt medical treatment helps to keep your injury from worsening, and it ensures documentation of your work-related injury from the start. Your employer has seven days from receiving your report to file a workers’ compensation claim. If they fail to do so, you can contact the insurance company on your own or let us do it.
How Our Florida Workers’ Comp Lawyers Can Help After a Neck Injury
Our workers’ compensation lawyers in Florida understand workers’ comp filing requirements and deadlines. We can help you gather evidence, obtain medical opinions, and file a timely claim for the benefits you need to recover from your neck injury.
In addition, if workers’ compensation denies your neck injury claim, we can help you appeal the decision.
You have a right to recover certain benefits for injuries you sustained on the job. Workers’ compensation insurance is required for most employers with more than four employees, as Florida’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) states. While there are some exceptions for certain industries and occupations, you generally have a right to workers’ comp benefits if your employer is required to carry coverage.
Workers’ compensation benefits exist to help injured workers recover so they can return to work as soon as possible. Our workers’ compensation law firm can help you pursue:
Workers’ comp covers all medical expenses related to your workplace injury. This may include:
If your injuries resulted in serious disability and impairment, you may qualify for extended treatment and care. Our compassionate workers’ compensation attorneys in Florida can help you gather evidence and medical expert testimony to support your claim for medical expenses.
Workers’ compensation insurance in Florida covers a percentage of your lost income while you are out of work due to an employment-related injury. The percentage you can receive depends on your regular weekly wage and the length of time you are out of work.
If you miss more than 21 days due to a work-related neck injury, you may be eligible for disability payments.
Disability benefits through Florida workers’ compensation are divided into four categories:
Establishing disability and impairment requires comprehensive medical records as well as an independent medical review. Our legal team can help you gather the information you need to support a disability benefit claim through workers’ compensation.
This benefit is designed to help workers who are too impaired by their work injury to return to their previous job or career. If the worker has the capacity to study or train for another vocation, the Florida workers’ comp program may pay for continuing education, training, vocational counseling, and other tools to help the worker return to the workforce.
Rosenberg & Rosenberg’s workers’ comp lawyers can help you complete the Request for Screening and prepare documents for your interview.
If you lost a loved one to a work-related neck injury within one year of the injury or after five years of continuous disability, you could recover death benefits for dependent compensation, spousal education, and funeral expenses. We can help you understand your legal rights and options during this difficult time.
Rosenberg & Rosenberg is a full-service workers’ compensation and personal injury law firm with a track record of success. We are committed to supporting workers with complex workers’ compensation claims. Over the past 50 years, our team has recovered millions in compensation for injured workers, and we are ready to leverage our knowledge and experience to help you.
Contact us today for a free consultation. We are here to answer your questions and guide you through the claims process. If you received a denial, we can help you understand the reason for the denial and pursue an appeal for workers’ compensation for neck injuries in Florida.
