Internal injuries are not visible, but they nonetheless can drastically affect your daily life and ability to work. If you have suffered internal injuries at your job, you may be entitled to recover workers’ compensation benefits. While the cause of some internal injuries is straightforward, with other injuries, it can be challenging to prove that they were caused by an incident in your workplace. As a result, if you experienced an internal injury in the workplace, it is in your best interest to consult an Riverside and San Bernardino County work injury attorney as soon as possible. The attorneys at Law Office of Joseph Richards, P.C. are dedicated to helping injured workers obtain workers’ compensation benefits for temporary or permanent disabilities. Our main office is in Orange County, and our second office is in Riverside County. We represent claimants seeking workers’ compensation benefits throughout Southern California.
Internal injuries are most frequently caused by a traumatic incident, such as a car accident, fall, or impact with a blunt object. Blunt force trauma may result in a pneumothorax or other injuries to the lung, as well as injuries to internal organs and tissues. In cases in which the impact is especially severe, the worker may suffer an injured spleen, organ failure, or an abdominal aneurysm, which can be deadly. Internal bleeding is another very serious internal injury that can lead to stroke and other serious side effects.
It is important to notify your employer of any accident or impact to your body that you experienced at work. Regardless of whether you experience any immediate signs of injury following an accident, you should seek medical attention. Internal injuries may take days or weeks to become apparent, and it is important to have documentation of any prior trauma in order to prove that your injury occurred in the workplace.
Unless it was clear that you were performing the duties of your job at the time of the accident that caused your injury, your employer may dispute that your injury was a workplace injury. For example, if you were not in your normal workplace at the time of the injury, your employer may argue that the injury did not arise out of your job. A skilled workers’ compensation attorney can anticipate any arguments that your employer may set forth regarding the cause of your injury and obtain evidence to refute any obstacles to your recovery.
In addition to recovering benefits for your internal injury, you may be entitled to recover for any subsequent injury caused by that injury. These types of injuries are known as compensable consequence injuries. Compensable injuries may be caused by side effects of treatment, or they may simply be caused by your reduced physical capacity due to your original injury. For example, if you fainted and broke your arm due to low blood pressure caused by internal bleeding, your broken arm could be a compensable consequence injury. As with your initial injury, it is important to obtain an accurate and thorough medical evaluation of the cause and extent of your compensable consequence injury to enable you to prove that it was caused by your first injury, instead of a pre-existing condition or outside non-industrial source.
If you were injured in the course of your job duties, you do not need to prove that your employer was negligent to recover benefits. You may be entitled to recover the cost of any treatment that you underwent for your injury, including the cost of any medication or assistive devices. If you are unable to perform the duties of your job, you may be entitled to disability benefits as well. You may be deemed either partially or totally disabled, and your disability benefits may be temporary or permanent, depending on the nature and duration of your disability. If you are unable to return to your prior position, you may be entitled to benefits that would allow you to obtain training in a new field.
It is important that your injuries are properly evaluated so that you may recover the full extent of the workers’ compensation benefits that you are owed. An experienced workers’ compensation lawyer can aid you in taking the steps necessary to ensure that you are adequately compensated.
At Law Office of Joseph Richards, P.C., our attorneys aggressively pursue workers’ compensation benefits on behalf of our clients to help them relieve the financial burdens caused by their injuries. Our offices are in Orange County and Riverside County, from which we assist injured people in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa, Anaheim, Irvine, Moreno Valley, Corona, Temecula, El Centro, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Fontana, Rancho Cucamonga, and San Diego, as well as other cities in Orange, Riverside, Imperial, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties. Contact us at (888) 883-6588 or via our online form to set up a consultation.