Shoulder and Neck Injury
Shoulder and Neck Injuries Can Be Debilitating-Call a Tough NY Workers Comp Lawyer
Nearly everyone is vulnerable to injuring their neck or shoulders at work. So many job duties involve the neck and shoulders-stocking inventory in a warehouse, using a jack-hammer on underground utility jobs, handling a fire truck hose, reaching up to get dishes off a restaurant shelf, carrying trays of food, or just constantly looking up while painting, nailing, hammering or washing windows. Job-related motor vehicle accidents, such as a rear-ended delivery van or police car crash, can cause work-related whiplash. All of these on-the-job injuries can cause numerous conditions such as chronic neck strain, dislocated shoulders or overall stiffness.
The long-term cost of a shoulder or neck injury can be quite high. You may need surgery, physical therapy, and other medical treatment, and your ability to do your job may be affected temporarily or permanently. If you suffer from any neck or shoulder problems caused by your job, you should be filing a workers compensation claim-and finding out the many ways that we can help.
We handle all types of neck and shoulder injuries
The neck and shoulders are among the more commonly injured body parts at work. Some of the most common work-related shoulder injuries include:
- Rotator cuff tears
- Labrum tears
- Dislocated shoulders
- Frozen shoulder (adhesive capsulitis)
- Shoulder strains
- Impingement syndrome
- Bursitis
- Nerve injuries
Among the work-related neck injuries we handle are:
- Neck sprains and strains
- Herniated discs and pinched nerves
- Whiplash
- Cervical spine fractures
Your rights as a New York worker with a neck or shoulder injury
Whether you sustained your injury in a single incident – such as a shoulder injury from a fall or a rotator cuff tear in a work accident – or over a period of time, if it happened at work, you have a workers’ compensation claim. Workers’ comp pays for the full cost of reasonable and necessary medical treatment for your neck or shoulder injury, including but not limited to:
- Medical tests such as X-rays and MRIs
- Medical procedures, including neck or shoulder surgery
- Physical therapy, massage therapy, and other follow-up care
- Medication and medical devices
In addition, workers’ compensation pays a percentage of your lost wages if you are unable to work due to your neck or shoulder injury. And if you have a shoulder injury that causes permanent loss of use of the arm, you may qualify for schedule loss of use (SLU) benefits, even if it doesn’t affect your ability to do your job.
Depending on the circumstances, you may also have a third-party claim for additional compensation, such as pain and suffering. For example, if you were rear-ended while driving for work and sustained whiplash, you may have a claim against the motorist who rear-ended you. The only way to know the full value of your neck or shoulder injury is to talk to an experienced attorney as soon as possible.
Don’t put up with constant shoulder problems and neck pain. Call us.
The New York work injury attorneys at Pasternack Tilker Ziegler Walsh Stanton & Romano, LLP know that acute shoulder and neck injuries from workplace accidents can impact every part of your life. They can make doing the most basic tasks agonizing, limiting upper body mobility so much that you may not be able to work, resulting in lost wages.
If you suffered a workplace shoulder injury or have immobilizing neck pain from a job accident, you should have workers’ compensation benefits coming to you and we will pursue them aggressively on your behalf. We are also very knowledgeable in representing union members, so if you are part of a local union, call us today at (800) 692-3717 or contact us online for a free evaluation. There is no obligation and every conversation is confidential. Serving Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens County, Kings County, Westchester, Rockland County, the Bronx and Long Island.