Nurses are responsible for providing some of the most important patient care functions in hospitals. Although they may have dozens of job duties, nurses are often required to pick up and move patients. Therefore, nurses have higher rates of musculoskeletal injuries than other occupations. The Bureau of Labor Statistics found that nurses suffer three times as many musculoskeletal injuries as construction workers. Each year, there are more than 35,000 musculoskeletal injuries among nursing employees that require time off from work.
A musculoskeletal injury can affect your joints, ligaments, muscles and nerves. These injuries may be caused by overexertion or repetitive motions. You may experience pain or limited function in the part of your body where the injury occurred. If your injury is severe, you may be unable to perform your basic job duties or everyday tasks. Musculoskeletal injuries could require you to take medications or therapy to treat. Operations could be required to repair the damage caused by the injury. Not only could you be unable to return to your occupation, you may also be facing thousands of dollars in medical expenses.
Workers’ compensation benefits could help pay for some of the expenses caused by a musculoskeletal injury. If your employer has workers’ comp (it is optional in Texas), these benefits could help pay for doctor’s visits, medications and some lost income. However, hospitals in Texas still operate like businesses. They may want to cut costs, which means finding ways to get out of paying benefits for injured employees. For instance, your employer may try to argue that your injury did not occur at work. You should consider hiring an attorney if you are seeking workers’ comp benefits for a musculoskeletal injury.
Could I Recover Workers’ Comp for a Musculoskeletal Injury?
The amount of compensation you could recover from a musculoskeletal injury at work would depend on multiple factors. For instance, the severity of your injury, your employer or whether third parties contributed to the injury could be factored into your case.
Austin workers’ comp attorney Aaron Allison could investigate the value of your claim and whether additional avenues for compensation could be pursued. In addition, attorney Aaron Allison is only one of a handful of Texas attorneys still taking straight workers’ comp cases. You may call us at (512) 474-8346 or fill out our online contact form for a free consultation.
