Workers’ compensation claims often arise when an employee is involved in a job-related accident and suffers a traumatic injury. However, not all work-related injuries occur because of a single incident. Instead, many employees sustain repetitive stress injuries, which can develop from repeating the same movements over and over on a daily basis. These injuries are common due to regular typing, working on an assembly line, pulling or pushing, or lifting.
Some of the more common types of repetitive stress injuries include the following:
- Bursitis;
- Carpal tunnel syndrome;
- Cubital tunnel syndrome;
- Ganglion cyst;
- Raynaud’s disease;
- Tendinitis; and
- Thoracic outlet syndrome.
These injuries often require visits to see a medical professional, medication, and physical therapy to heal. Additionally, recovery may require refraining from the offending behavior. If this behavior is an integral part of your job duties, you may have to miss work and lose income in addition to the medical bills piling up. When a repetitive stress injury is job-related, you should be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits to cover your losses.
Issues In A Repetitive Stress Injury Case
Obtaining proper benefits for a repetitive stress injury is often challenging, however, an experienced injury attorney can help you. First an employer often attempts to deny that the injury actually arose from activities at work and may try to claim the injury was caused by activities at home or elsewhere outside of the workplace. This is because workers’ compensation claims in Florida only involve job-related injuries. A diagnosis from an experienced medical professional can serve as important evidence that your injury did, in fact, occur from job-related activities. For this reason, it is imperative to seek a medical diagnosis as soon as possible.
Additionally, in order to prove losses in a workers’ compensation case, you must pinpoint the date of the accident. For many workers, that date is easily remembered as it was the date of a serious accident. Repetitive stress injuries, by nature, develop over time and not from a single event. The date of the accident on the form should reflect the first day that you realized your injury was inhibiting your normal abilities. This date must also be within the statute of limitations set out in Florida workers’ compensation law, which is two years from the date the injury was realized.
Consult With A Boca Raton Workers’ Compensation Attorney For A Free Consultation
If you have been diagnosed with a repetitive stress injury or any other type of injury that occurred in relation to your job duties, you should discuss your situation with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney as soon as possible. An attorney from the Boca Raton law office of Lavalle, Brown & Ronan can review your case, represent you in any necessary appeals of a claim denial, and ensure that you are receiving the full amount of benefits that you deserve from the workers’ compensation insurer. If you are offered a settlement, a workers’ compensation lawyer can advise you on whether or not to accept the amount and can negotiate with the insurer to make sure you obtain an adequate settlement to cover your losses. Call for a free consultation today at 888-646-1315.
