Greensboro Overexertion Injury Workers' Comp Lawyer

Did you overexert yourself on the job and suffer an injury as a result? Perhaps you were lifting a heavy object and felt your back go out. Maybe you were putting in a long day on the line and woke up the next morning feeling something was off. You could just have been trying to get office supplies that were just out of reach and strained your shoulder in the effort.

Regardless of the specific circumstances of your injury, if you suffered it on the job, you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. However, getting your claim approved could be especially challenging. Overexertion injuries don’t always show up on imaging tests, and insurance companies can be skeptical that they happened at work.

Don’t try to handle your claim yourself. Instead, get help from a Greensboro overexertion injury lawyer who understands the system and knows how to work it to your advantage. Contact Hardison & Cochran | Injury & Workers Comp Lawyers to get started with a free, fully confidential consultation, and let’s discuss your next steps together.

What Is an Overexertion Injury at Work?

When the body is pushed beyond its limits, the result is an overexertion injury. This can result in painful inflammation or even tears to muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Common examples include the following:

• Strains
• Fractures

In a work context, overexertion injuries often result from the following:

• Prolonged periods of standing or sitting with improper posture
• Working in cramped spaces
• Attempting to lift or carry too much weight
• Repeating the same motion without sufficient downtime

Treatment for a workplace overexertion injury generally involves rest and time off work, although more serious injuries may require surgery. In either case, the patient may need to take time off work to heal properly.

Jobs in Greensboro Where Overexertion Injuries Happen Most

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, overexertion injuries are the leading cause of cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer (DART) and the second leading cause of days away from work (DAFW) cases. The leading industries for overexertion injuries are, in descending order, as follows:

• Service industry
• Trade, transportation, and utilities
• Education and health services
• Transportation and warehousing
• Retail
• Wholesale
• Good-producing industries
• Manufacturing

While these are the leading industries for DART and DAFW cases, workers in any field could suffer overexertion injuries while on the job.

Why Are Overexertion Claims Harder to Prove in North Carolina?

Overexertion injuries aren’t just painful. Between the cost of medical care and the need to take time off to rest, they can also be quite costly. The good news is that workers’ compensation should cover on-the-job injuries like work-related overexertion. The bad news, however, is that overexertion claims can be harder to win than those involving other types of injuries, mostly for the following reasons:

• Overexertion injuries often involve soft-tissue damage, which doesn’t always appear on medical imaging tests.
• Many overexertion injuries arise through repetitive motions or develop slowly over time. This can make it harder to connect to a specific work incident.
• Similarly, because overexertion happens over time, what a worker does while they’re off the clock might be as much to blame for their injury as what they do while on the job.

Collectively, these factors give workers’ comp insurers an opening to deny legitimate claims. This is despite that overexertion injuries are, statistically, the most common form of workplace injury requiring time away from work.

If you’ve suffered an overexertion injury at your job, consider speaking with a Greensboro overexertion injury attorney before you start your claim yourself. An experienced attorney knows how to build a strong claim backed up by compelling evidence.

What Workers’ Comp Benefits Can You Receive for an Overexertion Injury?

Once you prove that your overexertion injury happened while you were on the job or because of your work, workers’ compensation should provide you with the following:

• Medical benefits that pay for all health care necessitated by your injury. This includes everything from emergency transport to surgeries and from ongoing therapy to medical devices.
• Wage-loss benefits that offset a sizable portion of your missing income. If you can’t work at all, you can receive 66 2/3 percent of your pre-injury weekly wages, subject to a cap pegged to the cost of living. If you’re able to work in a reduced capacity, you can receive 66 2/3 percent of the difference between your pre- and post-injury weekly wages. These payments continue until you’re medically able to return to work.
• Permanent disability benefits apply if your injury results in long-term impairment, though most overexertion injuries respond well to rest. The amount and duration of payments will depend on the part of your body that’s injured and the degree to which it’s affected.
• Vocational rehabilitation benefits will pay to retrain you to work in another field in the event that your overexertion injury leaves you unable to continue your previous career.

What to Do If Your Overexertion Injury Claim Is Denied

If your employer or their insurer denies your overexertion injury claim, the first thing you should do is contact a workers’ compensation lawyer in Greensboro. They can file a Form 33 to appeal the decision. The process may begin with mandatory mediation, with subsequent hearings before a Deputy Commissioner and a panel of commissioners. Your lawyer will present evidence showing not just that you suffered an overexertion injury because of your work, but that your injury affects your ability to do your job.

Talk to a Greensboro Workers’ Comp Lawyer at Hardison & Cochran Today

Did you suffer an overexertion injury on the job in Greensboro? Don’t make the mistake of handling your workers’ compensation claim yourself. The insurance company will look for any reason they can to deny your claim or reduce your benefits. Instead, get help from the team at Hardison & Cochran.

For more than 40 years, we’ve been standing up on behalf of injured North Carolinians, recovering millions of dollars on their behalf. Don’t just take our word for it, though. Here’s what our client Justin C. had to say about his experience with our firm:

“Attorney Carter Whittington was able to help my family when I was in a pit of despair. He helped us successfully navigate the complicated law system and made it easy for me to understand all of my options in recouping funds for my injury. I am blessed to have Mr. Whittington in my life and my wife and I are eternally grateful.”

– Justin C.

Contact us today for your free, no-obligation consultation with a Greensboro lawyer for overexertion injuries, and let us help you pursue the benefits you’re entitled to under the law.