Nerve Injuries on the Job

Workplace injuries such as repetitive stress trauma, neck and back injuries from lifting or other strenuous activities, and slip and falls at work can all result in nerve damage to a worker. Sometimes, nerve injuries on the job are temporary, and, with appropriate medical care and short-term restrictions such as light duty or time off from work, the injured employee may make a full recovery. However, many work-related injuries involving nerve damage cause at least some degree of permanent physical and/or vocational disability to the affected worker. If you have sustained a nerve injury on the job, a consultation with a Rockland County workers' compensation lawyer is advised. The Law Firm of Valerie J. Crown, Attorney at Law, P.C., can advise you of your rights with regard to the New York workers’ compensation system.

One of the most important benefits that is available to someone who has been hurt at work is paid medical care. While there are certain rules and restrictions regarding this care, state law requires that the employer or its workers’ compensation insurance carrier be financially responsible for the doctor bills, prescriptions costs, tests, hospital care, and other medical expenses necessitated by the work-related event, so long as the employee does his or her part to comply with the applicable requirements (such as the giving of notice and seeking care from a physician who has been approved to treat on-the-job injuries).

While virtually any type of accident or injury that can occur at home or in public can also happen while a worker is acting in the course and scope of his employment, workers’ compensation cases tend to follow some general patterns. A truck driver might suffer a herniated disc in his or her lumbar region due to a traffic accident. A delivery person in Rockland County might slip on a customer’s icy sidewalk, causing sciatica or a rotator cuff injury. A tree cutter might suffer a serious fall that results in permanent paralysis. Even though these injuries were not on the employer’s property, they are likely to still be considered work-related and, thus, eligible for workers’ compensation benefits such as paid medical care, temporary disability pay, and permanent partial or permanent total disability payments. There may also be a third-party lawsuit (meaning a lawsuit against the responsible party if that party is not an employer or co-worker). We can assist with those types of cases as well.

Nerve injuries on the job in Rockland County can cause not only pain but also a burning sensation, numbness, bowel or bladder problems, weakness, paralysis, loss of muscle tone, lack of balance, and other physical problems. These, in turn, can affect the worker’s ability to perform the duties of his or her job. If these issues are temporary, a few days or weeks of light duty or time away from work may be necessary as the worker recuperates. In most situations, permanent total or permanent partial disability benefits are available to the worker to replace part of his or her lost wages. It is important to note that there is a state minimum and maximum to such payments, and not all wages are replaced.

When a worker’s nerve injuries from a work related event (or from repetitive stress, as is the case in a carpal tunnel syndrome case) cause him or her to have permanent work restrictions, the worker is entitled to seek permanent partial or permanent total disability benefits. Again, there is a lower and upper limit on such payments, and many factors (including the worker’s age, employment history, education, and physical impairment rating(s) as assigned by his or her treating and/or evaluating physicians) are taken into consideration in determining the payments that will be received by the worker.

If you have suffered nerve injuries on the job, you should consult an attorney who can help you understand your legal rights and assist you in fighting for what is fair and equitable. The Law Firm of Valerie J. Crown, Attorney at Law, P.C. is here to help those injured in and around Rockland County as they seek to recover workers’ compensation benefits for nerve injuries on the job. You can reach our offices at 845.708.5900, or you can call Valerie’s cell phone at 845.598.8253. Our firm also handles nursing home cases from Suffolk to Ulster Counties, as well as dental malpractice cases in Rockland, Westchester, and Orange Counties and negligence cases in the Greater New York City area.