When you injure your spine while doing your job, you may be entitled to receive a fault-free settlement package through South Carolina’s workers’ compensation system. Instead of navigating this process on your own, consider the possible advantages of partnering with a reputable legal team who can help.
At Williams & Roche, LLC, we are firm believers in the rights of injured employees to access fault-free benefits in their time of need. With over 50 years of combined legal experience, we have comprehensive knowledge of all aspects of the workers’ compensation system in South Carolina. We encourage you to contact a Columbia spinal cord injury lawyer at our office to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your options.
Which Workers Are Most At Risk Of A Spine Injury?
While people in many professions may hurt their spine, those who work in automotive manufacturing facilities — like BMW — and in the construction sector have an increased risk. In these industries, the workers are in fast-paced, high-pressure environments where multiple moving parts operate at one time to get the job done. Because of this, the potential for workplace accidents — such as someone falling off a roof or getting crushed by equipment — is higher.
Likewise, those who drive for big companies like Amazon are also in danger, such as from getting hit by a car while making routine deliveries or having heavy boxes fall on them. If you were hurt on the job in these or other ways, teaming up with a seasoned spinal cord injury lawyer in South Carolina may be helpful. The attorney can talk to you about your condition, learn what caused it, and develop a strategy to help you seek workers’ compensation.
What Does A Spinal Cord Injury Involve?
As explained by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Columbia, damage to your spine can impair your ability to move and control your body. For example, you may have difficulty walking or talking or find it challenging to reach for or grab onto things. Likewise, you may be unable to control your bowels or bladder or breathe on your own.
You may also experience paralysis, numbness, or tingling in one or more areas of your body.
Typically, you would experience difficulties in the areas of your body below the location of the wound. Treatment for your spinal cord injury may include surgeries, medication, physical therapy, and in-home care. Because of the severe harm these types of job-related conditions can cause, you may find it useful to collaborate with a spinal cord injury lawyer who can help you seek a workers’ compensation settlement.
Common Types Of Spine Injuries In Workplace Accidents
As the Shepherd Center describes, spinal cord damage may occur in one of four areas: the lower, upper, or middle of someone’s spine or in their sacral (e.g., tailbone) region. Each of these locations may result in different changes to the person’s ability to function. For example, a wound to someone’s neck (their cervical spine) may completely paralyze them from the neck down.
Likewise, someone may have a complete or incomplete spine injury. Complete wounds entirely sever the nerves, meaning signals cannot travel from the body part to the brain. As such, the person may lose (or is likely to lose) all ability to move, feel, or control that area of the body. In contrast, an incomplete injury is one that still allows for some form of communication between the brain and the body. In those situations, the person may lose some but not all feeling or movement in that region.
Seeking Workers’ Compensation for Spinal Cord Injuries
South Carolina’s Workers’ Compensation Law allows eligible workers to request a settlement to cover their accident-related losses. While each case is unique, the compensation an employee may be eligible for includes qualifying medical expenses and payments to make up for a loss in earnings.
If you have any questions about the steps involved in seeking compensation in South Carolina, speaking with a spinal cord injury attorney may be wise. They can carefully review the record and the applicable law to find out what your options are. They can also take key steps — such as filling out and submitting paperwork — for you, freeing up your time and energy to focus on the healing process.
Send in the initial notice
Initiating the claims process starts with notifying your employer about the incident. Ideally, you would send in this notice right after you get hurt, such as on the day of the accident, before you get medical help. South Carolina law gives you up to 90 days to tell the company you work for about what happened. If you have a valid reason for not being able to meet this deadline, you may qualify for an extension.
File a formal claim with the Workers’ Compensation Commission
After you tell your employer about your injury, the next step is to file formal paperwork with the Workers’ Compensation Commission. In most (but not all) situations, you have up to two years to take this step. If you do not do so within the correct timeframe, you may run into problems with getting the Workers’ Compensation Commission to accept your claim. That said, there are exceptions to the ordinary filing deadlines that may give you more time to do so.
How a Columbia Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Proves Your Case
Getting decisive help from a knowledgeable attorney can greatly help your chances of securing a fair settlement. A seasoned legal advocate can comb through the record to find critical pieces of information to help your case. For example, they might find a note from your doctor saying you are unable to perform job-related tasks. Other materials they might use include eyewitness statements and the opinions of medical experts — like your treating physician.
They can then use these details, along with their legal training, to try to get you a comprehensive compensation package. Additionally, your advocate can take steps to help file the necessary paperwork correctly and on time. If the insurer or your employer denies your claim, your legal team can help you appeal this decision.
Call to Schedule a Legal Consultation with a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
Conditions involving your spine can have far-reaching consequences on your ability to engage with the world around you like you could before the incident. While demanding fair medical coverage and wage loss payments cannot put you in the position you were in before, it can help restore your dignity and sense of purpose and give you what you need to treat your condition.
For help seeking a settlement after a work-related accident, contact a Columbia spinal cord injury lawyer at our South Carolina workers’ compensation firm. At Williams & Roche, LLC, we are proud and fierce advocates for those who are hurting, paralyzed, or disabled because of a work-related accident or condition. Our team includes Andrea Roche, who served on the Workers’ Compensation Commission for eight years and served a two-year term as its Chairman. She calls on her invaluable experience in these roles to help her craft responsive and creative legal arguments that serve her client’s best interests. Derrick Williams also served on the Workers’ Compensation Commission for six years and both he and Andrea were former defense attorneys (working for the insurance companies), before they became Commissioners.
Let them use their experience and training to help you maximize your benefits under the South Carolina Workers’ Compensation system.
