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Chronic pain and a back injury: Truck drivers are at risk, too

On Behalf of | Jun 2, 2020 | Firm News, Injuries

You have enjoyed being a truck driver, but one thing you didn’t expect to have happen was an injury. After all, short of a crash, you’re relatively safe in your truck.

Unfortunately, driving a truck comes with its own risks. Truck drivers can face risks such as:

  • Obesity
  • Sleep apnea
  • Depression
  • Stress
  • Lung cancer
  • Musculoskeletal injuries

At least, that’s what you thought. One day, as you unloaded your truck, you heard a crack. You were sore, but you thought you were fine. You went to bed later that night, but you woke up in the morning with minimal feeling in your leg. You were in pain and called 911.

You ended up with musculoskeletal injuries after loading and unloading your truck. The repetitive strain of your job added up, leading to a back injury.

Now, you can’t lift anything. You’ve had to go to the emergency room more than once, and you’re now on a treatment plan for a ruptured disc and all the problems that come with it. You have regular rehabilitation, are taking pain medication and don’t know what to expect. If things don’t improve, you could be left with no option but to seek surgery and to hope that you can resolve this chronic pain in the future. Your life is completely different and has changed as a result of the work you did for so long.

Living with chronic pain is hard, and having a debilitating back injury has put an end to your career. The good news out of all of this is that you should be able to seek workers’ compensation to cover your losses, which will help you stay financially stable. With workers’ compensation, you’ll be able to seek compensation for the wages you’re no longer earning and to cover the medical care that you need to get. If you can later return to some kind of work, workers’ compensation may provide you with vocational rehabilitation and other supports to get you back to work.

You worked hard in your career, and you ended up with an injury. You’re not alone. In 2018, the private industry saw 2.8 million injuries or illnesses among its workers. That is approximately 2.8 injuries or illnesses per 100 workers. Business owners obtain workers’ compensation to make sure that those who do get hurt have an opportunity to make a claim and get the compensation that they need.