By Emma Dylan
Workplace accidents do happen and can lead to victims suffering from injuries that be mild or serious. If this happens to you, you should know what your rights are. Whether you experience a crushing injury or a slip and fall while on the job, you have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim. You should also know that injuries that occur over time may be covered by workers’ comp, along with emotional injuries such as post-traumatic stress disorder.
To receive workers’ compensation benefits, you need to prove your injury happened at work. Proving your injury can be easy when the accident took place on your regular job site; however, it can be harder to prove if your injury occurred away from your office or it’s a result of overusing or repetitive motion and the symptoms did not manifest right away. In this case, you need to work with a personal injury lawyer in Winchester, TN to fight for your claim. Your lawyer will evaluate your injury to determine if it is covered by workers’ comp. The following are some of the injuries covered:
Injuries that Develop Because of Overuse and Repetitive Motion
Repetitive motion and overuse of the joints can happen because of work-related movements. You may be diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome after you spent years inputting data, back pain from too frequent bending and lifting, or tendonitis from doing the same motion over and over again. Typically, workers comp will cover these kinds of injuries. But, you may need to provide ample evidence to prove you sustained the injury or that it occurred in your workplace.
Occupational Illness
When you experience an illness because of repeated exposure or sudden exposure to a hazardous chemical, substance, or bodily fluid, you have the right to claim compensation. If your illness is common and could be associated with a variety of sources, it can be hard to prove that your exposure was related to your work, although it can be done.
Pre-Existing Conditions
Even if you have a pre-existing condition, you can still file a workers’ comp claim for work-related injuries. For instance, you may have arthritis and your hurt your back at work. As long as your injury is related to your work, you can file a claim. However, your compensation will usually be for treatments that directly relate to the injury and not your pre-existing condition. The insurance company will usually challenge claims such as this but your lawyer will help increase your chances of getting successfully compensation.
