Our Practice Areas

The SoCal Workers Comp team understands that every case is unique. We have experience helping clients from various industries recover from many different kinds of injuries and illnesses. We have developed a multi-practice area firm that is prepared to not only pursue your claim for compensation, but also equipped with the resources to get you the right treatment for your work-related injury or illness.

Back and Neck Injuries

Back and neck injuries are one of the most common work-related injury claims. These injuries can affect workers from all industries, and may be the result of a one-time accident or could be a continuous injury. You may feel sharp pain in your back, tingling sensations, numbness, headaches, and stiffness. A back or neck injury could leave you partially disabled or even permanently disabled.

Back and neck injuries can be diagnosed during a physical exam or with tests like x-rays and MRIs. They can improve with a variety of treatments including rest, prescription medication, physical therapy, pain management, and braces.

Repetitive Work Injuries

Repetitive work injuries are also highly common. They affect people who work in offices and along assembly lines, among other industries. Pain is often felt in wrists, hands, elbows, the neck and shoulders. Specifically, a repetitive work injury can be diagnosed as carpal tunnel syndrome, rotator cuff tendonitis, and tennis elbow.

Repetitive work injuries develop because of constant stress to the same muscle, continuous lifting of heavy objects, and maintaining poor posture for long periods of time. A doctor can diagnose a repetitive work injury during an initial screening, a physical exam, or an MRI scan.Treatment for repetitive work injuries include rest, steroid shots, physical therapy, prescription medication, adjustments to your work, and possibly surgery.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

A traumatic brain injury is caused by a blow to or penetration of the head. It can be a specific form of a falling object injury at work. It can also result from a work-related car accident, a fall, or an explosion. There are many symptoms for a traumatic brain injury, although they commonly include loss of consciousness, difficulty concentrating, memory loss, mood changes, and fatigue.

Doctors often perform x-rays, MRIs, and CTs scans to make a diagnosis. With proper treatment, you can recover from a traumatic brain injury. In some cases, surgery is necessary. Although many experience improvement through rehabilitation and therapy.

Work Vehicle Accidents

People who drive as a part of their job are at risk of an accident. A work-related car accident can result in a variety of injuries, including whiplash, concussions, brain injuries, spinal injuries, and broken bones.

Comprehensive treatment is often appropriate and may include chiropractic therapy, physical therapy, orthopedic treatment, and pain management.

Most work vehicle accidents are also recognized as personal injury claims. We will be happy to refer you to a trusted and knowledgeable personal injury attorney to pursue a second claim.

Chemical Exposures

Some workers are regularly exposed to harmful chemicals, like those in construction, manufacturing, and agriculture. But the truth is, almost any worker can be harmed by chemicals in an unsafe work environment. Commonly dangerous chemicals that harm workers include carbon monoxide, ammonia, chlorine, asbestos, and hydrochloric acid. Harmful exposure can be the result of a one-time accident or it could be a continuous injury.

The timing and severity of the injury depends on the exact chemical. That is why it is important to get immediate medical attention for an accurate diagnosis and treatment without delay.

Burn Injuries

Not all burn injuries are the same. Some are caused by open flames, others by electrical shock, or by scalding liquids, and others by chemicals. In addition to the severe pain experienced by victims of burns, significant damage is done to your skin. Restaurant workers and industrial workers are among the most common groups to suffer work-related burn injuries.

Minimizing further damage and infection is the immediate goal of treatment for burns. Ultimately, surgery, physical therapy, and rehabilitation are treatment options for work-related burn injuries.

Broken and Fractured Bones

Many workers involved in heavy lifting break or fracture bones, particularly in the arm and shoulder. Swelling, bruising, bleeding, and severe pain often accompany a break or fracture.

Doctors use x-rays to diagnose the exact injury and will often look for any resulting nerve damage. After moving pieces of the bone back into place (sometimes with surgery) a cast or splint is set to allow the bone to reheal over time. This may last for as long as several months. During this period, physical therapy or rehabilitation may be necessary.

Strains and Sprains

Strains and sprains are stretching or tearing injuries to a muscle or ligament (tissue that connects bones). These are among the most common workers’ compensation claims nationwide. Poor posture, excessive force, and frequent repetition can cause strains and sprains. This means that workers from a variety of industries suffer this form of work-related injury.

Doctors diagnose strains and sprains using a variety of scans like x-rays, MRIs, CTs, and EMGs. They often treat these injuries by ordering rest, physical therapy, medication, and injections.

Emotional Trauma

Work incidents do not just result in physical injuries. Traumatic events also harm workers’ mental health. Accidents, workplace harassment, adverse physical and environmental factors, or sudden external threats cause workplace trauma. The most common work-related mental health injury is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). First responders are among the most common workgroups to experience PTSD.

Symptoms range from anxiety and terror to depression. Psychotherapy and medication are appropriate treatment for a work-related emotional injury.

Spinal Cord Injuries

An injury to your spinal cord is very serious because its connection to the brain and various nerves is how you stay mobile. A spinal cord injury can result in the loss of certain sensations and motor functions. The injury can deprive you of your mobility. Work-related spinal cord injuries happen after slip-and-falls, lifting accidents, falling object accidents, and work vehicle accidents.

Immediate emergency medical attention is the appropriate first step for treatment. A doctor will likely perform some kind of scan to determine if there is an injury to your spinal cord. Successful treatment includes steroid medication, surgery, and rehabilitation. In some cases, treatment can be long-term or organized to manage a permanent disability.

Catastrophic Injuries

A catastrophic injury can be one of several specific injuries that permanently prevent you from working again. The following injuries could potentially be lifelong:

* Serious brain injury
* Nervous system damage
* Limb amputation
* Loss of hearing or sight
* Organ damage
* Severe burns;

Catastrophic injuries typically result from a one-time accident, such as a work vehicle accident, a machine malfunction, a falling object accident, or a serious fall.

In California, the most dangerous jobs that present the highest risk of a catastrophic injury include:
* Landscaping
* Construction
* Agriculture
* Wastemanagement
* Roofing
* Fishing
* Logging

Treatment for a catastrophic injury can be long-term and highly expensive. It may involve multiple surgeries and assisted living care.

Wrongful Death Claims

Workers’ compensation benefits are also paid to the surviving family members and dependents of workers who died from a work-related injury or illness. These benefits compensate for the loss of financial support of the deceased worker as well as burial expenses.

You qualify as a claimant if you were totally or partially dependent on the deceased worker, and you are either a member of the deceased worker’s household or a close family member. The total amount of benefits varies according to several factors, but benefits are generally paid to beneficiaries in installments.

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