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Workers’ Compensation Settlements in Brockton, MA for Back Injuries
February 24, 2021
Chapter 52 of the Massachusetts Legislature covers workers’ compensation. According to the Massachusetts legislature, workers’ compensation in Brockton, MA, relates to the insurance that pays for any injuries sustained by an employee while they were on the job.
All companies are required to maintain workers’ compensation coverage for the employees under their employment. Failing to do so may cause penalties for the company. However, if an employee sustains an injury, they can claim the state-administered Workers’ Compensation Trust Fund.
Which Industries Are Prone to Worker Injuries?
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration of the United States, construction ranks as one of the most injury-prone industries. The two most cited types of incidents include falls and injuries related to poorly constructed scaffolding.
These two types of injuries can result in serious back injuries, among others, hampering an employee’s work. In such a case, the employee can seek compensation for their loss in productivity. For this purpose, you can consult a lawyer for workers’ compensation in Brockton, MA to help you get the compensation.
Back Injury and Construction Industry:
The back injury or spinal cord injury seriously hampers an employee’s ability to work. According to OSHA, falls and scaffolding are the highest cited violations on their radar. Falling from a height or an inadequate is a recipe for disaster that often results in back injuries.
Workplace injuries, including falls and scaffolding failures, account for the second-highest cause of spinal cord injuries in the US. This means that construction work causes the second-highest number of back injuries after car accidents in the United States.
Dealing with a Back Injury:
Back injuries may seem like regular muscular or bone injuries, but our backbone guards one of the most important organs; the spinal cord. Besides the brain, the spinal cord is the nerve center and think tank of the body.
Any injury to the spinal cord can result in paralysis of the legs, feet, or pelvis, a condition known as paraplegia. Since the spinal cord controls all your voluntary and involuntary action loops, it is vital to complete our daily activities.
Our backbone is made of vertebras or small discs that protect the spinal cord within. Spinal cord damage may result from injury to one or more of these vertebrae. This is usually caused by blunt trauma from an accident, a fall, or a sudden blow to the vertebrae.
Loss of Work and Productivity Due to Back Injuries:
Back injuries result in extensive time on the sidelines for employees. It may result in bouts of depression, hopelessness, and feeling unproductive. Back injuries limit a person’s movement to an extent where they cannot perform even the basic activities of life.
With such a severe injury occurring while employment, the United States has strict laws to prevent this from happening. OSHA keeps improving its guidelines and monitoring process while the state asks all companies to ensure their workers’ compensation insurance.
The road to recovery from a back injury is a long one marred with constant battles from within yourself. In such instances, financial help in the form of workers’ compensation in Brockton is a must. However, settlements regarding workers’ compensation can often prove tricky to secure.
Claiming Workers’ Compensation in Brockton, MA:
Each state has its mechanisms regarding workers’ compensation insurance. Massachusetts is no different and requires employers to abide by strict adherence to maintaining workers’ compensation insurance for their employees.
The insurance claim covers weekly wages, all the medical expenses, and rehabilitation costs in severe cases. The benefits, in theory, should be paid to the employee after a month of the injury. However, this rarely occurs as the insurance provider or the employer will dispute such a claim.
The dispute settlement process can be a long drawn one, but there are usually two outcomes. Firstly the benefits can get paid every week with the employer admitting liability of the injury occurrence.
Secondly, the employer could invariably settle for a lump sum amount to be paid instead of the workers’ injuries and rehabilitation costs. It can be done with or without the admission of any liability towards the injury.
Get a Workers’ Compensation Attorney to Help You
If you’re seeking workers’ compensation in Brockton, MA, then it’s best to get the help of an experienced attorney such as the Law Office of Robert C Shea. Not only can we navigate you through the complexities of the workers’ compensation laws of Massachusetts but also get fair compensation for your injuries and loss of productivity.
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