Back and neck injuries can happen in one traumatic accident or they can occur over time because of the repetitive tasks of your job. According to the Mayo Clinic, there are three main causes of work-related back injuries:
- Force. Lifting or moving heavy objects, for example, can put too much force on your back and cause an injury.
- Repetitive movements. Work activities that cause you to twist or rotate your spine repetitively can result in a work-related back injury.
- Inactivity. Too much sitting—especially without a good chair or without good posture—can result in a work-related injury.
If you suffer any of these back or neck injuries then it is important to know your rights and to talk with an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer about getting the recovery that you deserve.
You Have the Right to Recover Workers’ Compensation Benefits
Most Iowa employers must have workers’ compensation insurance or prove to the Iowa Insurance Commissioner that they meet the legal requirements to be self-insured. As an employee, you are covered for any work-related accident beginning on the first day of your job. The standard is clear, but you may find that the insurance company responsible for paying your benefits is arguing that your injuries are not covered by workers’ compensation because those back and neck injuries are pre-existing conditions or because they were not work-related injuries.
How a Lawyer Can Help You Get What You Deserve
The insurance adjuster assigned to your case has a job to do. That job is to get you to accept as little as possible in a workers’ comp settlement so that the insurance company can maximize its profits. To that end, the insurance adjuster may try to argue that your back or neck injury is not a work-related injury, but rather an injury that you would have suffered anyway.
An experienced attorney can anticipate the defenses that the insurance company will try to raise and can present evidence about the true cause of your injury. Additionally, an attorney can fight hard for the fair and just recovery that you deserve pursuant to Iowa workers’ compensation law.
Your recovery is too important to risk. Accordingly, we encourage you to contact us any time, any day to schedule a free and confidential consultation with an experienced Iowa workers’ comp lawyer.
