Neck and Back Injuries In the Workplace

Neck and back injuries are among the most common workplace injuries in Georgia or elsewhere. Although these injuries can occur even in an office setting after a slip-and-fall accident at work, they are most common in industries involving physical labor and heavy machinery, such as construction, warehousing, and agriculture. Because the spine is the body’s support system for an upright position, an injury to the neck or back is not only painful but often temporarily or permanently debilitating.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Neck and Back Injuries at Work?

All injuries are painful and distressing, but when a neck or back injury occurs in the workplace, it often indicates that the employee will be unable to continue working in their current position, either temporarily or permanently disrupting their earning ability. Common causes of neck and back injuries at work include the following:

• Heavy lifting injuries
• Slip-and-fall accidents
• Falls from heights
• “Struck-by injuries” that occur when a worker is struck by a falling object, heavy machinery, or a workplace vehicle
• Transportation vehicle accidents
• Repetitive motion injuries
• Explosions

Less commonly, assaults and workplace violence sometimes cause back and neck injuries in the workplace.

What Types of Back and Neck Injuries Occur In the Workplace?

The spinal column and its supporting muscles, tendons, and ligaments are remarkably strong, flexible, and protective of the complex system of nerves responsible for sending and receiving signals between the body and the brain. For these reasons, an injury to the bones, soft tissue, or nerves of the neck or back is often intensely painful and impacts both mobility and the nervous system. The most common types of work-related neck and back injuries in Georgia include the following:

• Whiplash, which occurs when the head shakes forcefully back and forth, overextending and damaging the structures in the neck
• Cervical fractures (fracture of the vertebrae in the upper spine at the base of the neck)
• Cervical dislocations
• Muscle strains or subluxation (pulled muscle)
• Sprains
• Spondylolisthesis (a slipped vertebra overlaps one below it)
• Spinal disc fractures
• Nerve impingement 
• Spinal stenosis (narrowing of the spinal canal)
• Spinal cord injuries with paralysis

These are some, but not all, of the neck and back injuries commonly caused by accidents and repetitive motion in the workplace. Some injuries are sudden and cause immediate symptoms such as pain and stiffness, while other workplace back and neck injuries develop symptoms during the hours or days after the injury as inflammation develops.

How Do I Recover Compensation for a Workplace Neck or Back Injury?

In general when filing a workplace injury case, an injured employee cannot file a lawsuit directly against an employer unless their actions were egregious or illegal. Fortunately, there are often other options for third-party claims against negligent parties, depending on how the injury occurred, such as the following:

• Negligent drivers
• The manufacturer of defective equipment or products
• Contractors and subcontractors
• Negligent property owners
• Negligent maintenance companies

Third-party claims are common in high-risk work environments like the construction industry and commercial trucking industry.

What Damages Can I Recover After a Neck or Back Injury at Work?

When an injury impacts mobility and range of motion, it affects all aspects of daily life, including earning ability. Fortunately, a third-party negligence claim can recover financial compensation for common losses such as the following:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Out-of-pocket injury-related costs
• Past and future income loss or reduced future earning ability
• Compensation for pain and suffering

In cases of permanent disability, legal help for a spinal injury victim may recover additional compensation for catastrophic injury.

How Can a Georgia Workplace Injury Attorney Help?

Identifying the liable party, gathering evidence, proving liability, and carefully calculating the damages requires skilled handling for a well-executed claim against the at-fault party. Call an experienced Atlanta injury attorney at Piasta Walker Hagenbush, LLC to maximize your chances of a favorable result in your Georgia workplace injury claim.