.svg)
Motor Vehicle Accidents 
Get a FREE Consultation
We want to earn your business.
Chicago Lifting Injury Attorneys
Injured while lifting on the job? We can help.
If you suffered repetitive or heavy lifting injuries at work, you are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. These benefits will pay for your medical care, including physical therapy, pain medications, and even surgery. They will also pay you a portion of your lost wages while you’re off work recovering. At Strom Yen Injury Attorneys, our lifting injury attorneys have been helping injured workers like you for more than 50 years. We can help you understand the claims process, answer any questions you may have, and make sure you recover maximum compensation.
“I had a bad accident at work requiring multiple surgeries. When the insurnace adjuster began to take advantage my situation I decided to contact Strom Yen Attourneys. I have a friend who is a lawyer in the city who informed me that Strom Yen has an excellent reputation among their peers. Adam Scholl was assigned to my case. I was very happy to have his help in navigating my case, he handled the legal side of things so that I could focus on recovering. He advocated for me when we settled the case and I received what I believe to be a fair settlement given my life changing injuries. Very professional and courteous I wish him and the team at Strom Yen all the success for the future with my enduring gratitude and their support. If you injured yourself at work contact Strom Yen immediately – don’t speak to the adjustor without representation. God bless.”
Dave M
GET HELP NOWHow Workplace Lifting Injuries Happen
Lifting injuries may occur suddenly, as you pick up something heavy or awkward, or they may develop over time, creating a dull ache that gradually increases. These injuries often happen when workers are carrying heavy loads or carrying objects in awkward positions. Sometimes, however, lifting injuries occur when repeated movements
result in soft tissue damage that cannot heal as fast as the work tasks cause it. Environmental factors also sometimes contribute to the occurrence of lifting injuries at work. For example, workers may slip and fall while carrying heavy loads as a result of click surfaces caused by rain, ice, or snow.
If you are a warehouse worker, a delivery driver, or a dockworker who performs heavy lifting at work, you have a higher risk of sustaining a back injury in the workplace. These injuries generally affect the lumbar region of the back and when muscles, tendons, ligaments, discs and vertebrae become damaged, you may experience pain or paralysis in other parts of your body as a result.
Overexertion injuries are a leading cause of occupational injuries that require time off work. In many cases, lifting causes serious personal injury that requires ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy, back surgery, and pain medication.
Common Types of Lifting Injuries
Every year, more than one million workers suffer heavy lifting injuries. Lifting heavy objects in the workplace can cause a wide range of injuries, from minor to severe. Heavy lifting can put stress and strain on the muscles and joints, causing serious injuries to workers. Injured workers often need time away from lifting or performing other tasks that might inflame and worsen their back injury.
Some of the most common types of injuries resulting from lifting workplace accidents include the following:
-
Hernias
-
Tendonitis
-
Strain injuries, including pulled muscles and torn ligaments or tendons
-
Joint injuries
-
Slipped discs and other back injuries
-
Nerve damage
How Can You Prevent Lifting Injuries?
Your employer should have a set of guidelines in place to protect you from lifting injuries at work. They should also provide you with training and information about how to lift safely, and when to ask for help lifting awkward or heavy objects. With appropriate precautions, warehouse workers, construction workers, healthcare workers, and employees in various other jobs can reduce their risk of suffering a personal injury.
Some prevention steps to keep workers safe on the job include the following:
-
Grasp the load firmly, using gloves when able, to avoid dropping or otherwise losing control of the load
-
Carry heavy items close to the body, pulling in toward the belt buckle, to limit the pressure on the back muscles and spine
-
Refrain from twisting while carrying heavy items, opting instead to adjust feet instead of turning at the waist
-
Center body weight through good footing to help maintain balance
-
Lift using the knees and legs, reducing the pressure on the spine and back muscles
FAQs About Lifting Injury Claims in Chicago:
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?
You must make your report to your employer no later than 45 days after the workplace accident that caused you serious injury, or within 90 days after a known or suspected radiological exposure. If you file an Application for Adjustment of Claim with the IWCC, you have three years from the date your injury occurred to request benefits if you have not received payment. If you received temporary disability or medical benefits for your workplace injury, you have two years from the date of the last payment to file your application.
How Can a Lifting Injury Attorney Help Me?
While you do not have to hire a lifting injury lawyer to pursue a workers’ compensation claim, working with personal injury lawyers who are experienced in handling such cases can help make sure you receive maximum compensation. A workers’ comp lawyer can help you understand your rights and legal options, as well as guide you through the claims filing process. An attorney will negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf, and help ensure you receive the benefits you are entitled to receive.
Can I Be Fired for Filing an Injury Claim?
Illinois law prohibits employers from retaliating against employees for filing workers’ comp claims. If you suffer a lifting injury and file a claim for benefits, your employer cannot use that as cause to take adverse employment actions against, punish, harass, or terminate you. You should keep in mind, however, that you can still face employment actions for valid causes while recovering from an occupational injury.
Plan for tomorrow, get your free consultation today.
Related Blog Posts
READ MORE FROM THE BLOG
As a personal injury attorney I have seen firsthand how car accidents can be life-changing. The journey to recovery is both physically and emotionally challenging. While I am here to help...
Imagine waking up with a toothache. Out of nowhere, you get a call from a dentist offering to give you a root canal.Would you see that dentist? Of course you...
Whether you’re a driver, a cyclist, or both, you have a responsibility to act in accordance with laws that are meant to keep us all safe. In Chicago, there’s an undeclared war...
