Back injury claims
Back pain is one of the most common complaints, affecting around 1 in 3 people in the UK every year.
According to BUPA, back pain affects around 1 in 3 people in the UK every year. In 2016/17 there were 11,582 back injuries at work reported.
While many are temporary discomforts, if you’ve had a back injury at work, or as a result of an accident or injury, it may turn into a long-term problem, giving you chronic pain, mobility problems and even permanent disability.
If that is the case, and the back injury was caused through no fault of your own, you might like to talk to our specialist solicitors about a compensation claim.
Types of back injury
There are many different types of back injury, including:
- Fractured vertebrae
- Spinal disc hernias and prolapsed disc
- Severe bruising
- Back strains or sprains
- Nerve damage or Cervical Radiculopathy, where nerves are compressed, causing pain.
- Spondylolisthesis - where one bone in your back (vertebra) slides forward over the bone below it.
- Ligament and tendon damage
- Paraplegia – spinal cord damage
- Lumbar spine (lower back)
A claim arises when your injury is caused through the fault or negligence of someone else, such as:
- Accidents at work – such as slips, trips, falls and manual lifting.
- Road traffic accident
- Medical negligence
- Sports injuries
- Physical assault
What if your back injury happened at work?
For minor injuries and general back pain, it’s important to report the issue to your employer. This gives them the opportunity to rectify the issue, and if they don’t, you may be able to use this as evidence when making a claim. They also should record the injury in an accident book, or ask you to write an injury report.
If you have suffered a more severe injury or back pain, it’s important to either make a same day appointment with your GP, or to visit the A&E department at your local hospital, and receive appropriate treatment before taking any other steps.
Following this, if you decide to make a claim for compensation, you’ll need to make a note of all conversations with your employer, as well as the results of your trip to the doctors or hospital.
Why make a claim for back injury compensation?
Back injuries can lead to chronic pain, affecting everyday life. A compensation amount could help ease the financial burden of the costs associated with things like, loss of amenity, loss of earnings and earning potential, travel expenses, ongoing medical treatment, therapies and any equipment you may need to help your recovery.
If you are claiming against an employer, and feel reluctant in doing so, you might be interested to know that employers have to have insurance against this kind of thing happening. Taking action will make sure that workplace is a safe environment for others in the future.
