A spinal cord injury (SCI) is serious and the result of a sudden blow leading to damage to the spinal cord, which is a bundle of nerves or the surrounding sensitive tissue. It transmits signals between the brain and the rest of the body, and trauma can disrupt those signals.
That includes impairments involving motor, sensory, and autonomic functions, which can leave you with temporary or permanent changes in sensation, strength, and other bodily and mobility processes below the point of injury. Contact our firm to speak with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney for more information about workers’ compensation for spinal cord injuries in San Bernardino.
SCI Specifics
Medical providers classify SCIs as incomplete, meaning you retain partial functional abilities, or complete, which means there is a total loss of function below the trauma. The effects depend on the injury’s location and severity. When they are higher, the cervical spine, the results can often be more catastrophic, affecting much of your body, such as quadriplegia, affecting all four limbs.
When the injury is lower, such as the thoracic or lumbar spine, it may affect the lower body, leaving you unable to use your legs. SCIs may slowly improve on their own, and the chances increase for those that are less severe. While there is no medical cure, with advanced medical technology, such as assistive devices, millions of people live fulfilling lives after an accident, leaving them with the disability. Our knowledgeable attorney could answer your questions about workers’ comp for spinal cord injuries in San Bernardino and help you through the process.
What Benefits Are Available?
Work-related SCIs are a major concern, particularly for those working in physically demanding positions. Back and spine injuries make up a significant portion of nonfatal occupational injuries in the state. The State of California Department for Industrial Relations states that the workers’ compensation system is no-fault, and that means building a case to demonstrate that your employer or another employee was negligent is not necessary to receive benefits.
Reporting your injury to your employer promptly and completing each step of the process as required is crucial to obtaining the full benefits the law entitles you to. Information about the medical care, psychiatric treatment, and disability payments is below.
Medical Care
Benefits available to you after suffering a SCI at work are comprehensive, covering all the necessary treatments and potentially lifetime care. That includes surgical procedures, medications, physical and psychological therapies, in-home or resident care, equipment and devices, and home and vehicle modifications.
Psychiatric Impact
Severe and debilitating injuries commonly lead to compensable psychiatric impacts, such as anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. The massive impact on the victim’s life can stem from the disability itself, inability to work, and adjusting to the loss of mobility and other impairments. When individuals meet all the requirements, such as proof that the work is work-related and will last for at least 6 months, they may qualify for additional coverage.
Disability
Temporary total disability is wage replacement covering a percentage of your pay and lasts up to 104 weeks within two years of the workplace injury, with the potential for an extension. Permanent disability may be in the form of ongoing payments for lasting impairments, based on a rating, or a lump-sum payout if that is more appropriate. The benefits available under workers’ compensation for San Bernardino spinal cord injuries can vary, depending on the specifics. However, they are often long-term or permanent disabilities, and lead to a broad range of limitations.
Speak to a Skilled Attorney About San Bernardino Workers’ Compensation Spinal Cord Injuries
SCIs are among the most serious and debilitating, often catastrophic injuries someone can suffer while they are on the job. They typically lead to requiring long-term or permanent medical care and loss of income, which can devastate nearly every part of your life.
Most employees in the state qualify for workers’ comp, but the process can often feel overwhelming. Contact us today to schedule an appointment with a compassionate lawyer for help with workers’ compensation for spinal cord injuries in San Bernardino.
(909) 885-1620