For someone who spends most of their workday behind the wheel of their semi-truck, it can be hard to imagine how they might get a workplace injury. When a workplace injury can cost an employee thousands of dollars or more, it is essential to know whether or not you have a possible claim for compensation. Here are three common types of compensation claims that you may have already experienced:
Slip-and-falls
Falling on the step into the truck may not seem like a serious fall, but it can have lifelong consequences. A fall can mean permanent nerve damage, a broken leg or hip, and possibly paralysis. It is common for these falls to happen while entering or exiting the truck or the cab and at loading docks with slip hazards.
Motor vehicle accidents
Dangerous road conditions, reckless drivers, and even mechanical failures in a vehicle can cause serious injuries in an accident. Knee and hip injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and traumatic brain injuries can keep you from safely performing your job ever again, endangering your future.
Repetitive injuries
Repeating the same motion in the body for a long time can cause that body part to suffer consequences. For truck drivers, turning the steering wheel or even keeping their hands on the wheel for so long in a day can result in many different outcomes. Carpal tunnel and ulnar tunnel syndromes are extremely common in career drivers, as well as back pain.
Do not ignore your injuries
If you suffered any of these or other injuries due to your job as a truck driver, you might be entitled to workers’ compensation. Contact a skilled workers’ compensation attorney to discuss your situation and determine if you have a compensation claim.