Injuries On-Site
When you work in construction or a similar trade, work related injuries happen, no matter how careful you are or how strict standards are on site. When you are injured on the job, the first thing your boss may want to know is when you can get back to work, but getting back to work isn’t so simple if you develop CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome).
What is CRPS?
CRPS is an inflammatory disorder of the nervous system which can inflict its sufferers with severe, chronic pain. CRPS is not proportional to the original injury sustained. CRPS can begin with any injury, but is usually seen as a result of common workplace injuries. What may have seemed like a simple, straightforward injury can have lasting effects with CRPS. In fact, CRPS can even develop months or years after the original injury, even if you have been able to return to work in the interim. Symptoms of CRPS include swollen joints, severe pain that progressively gets worse, changes in skin texture and color, increased hair and nail growth, muscle spasms, and sensitivity to touch and temperature changes. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and you believe them to be the result of an occupational injury, contact Sundquist Law Firm today. Most workers’ compensation programs try to deny claims of CRPS. Don’t let that happen to you. We know how to navigate the United Construction Workers’ Compensation Program (UCWCP) to get you the help and reparation you deserve.
CRPS begins slowly and can progress to such a point that muscles contract or atrophy due to avoiding use of that particular part of your body. CRPS can sometimes be so long lasting that it is permanently disables and inhibits the sufferer from returning to the work site.
There are two types of CRPS. Type 1 is the most common and originates where the original injury occurred. Type 2 can affect another part of the body. With Type 2, you can actually have injured your foot but experience intense, burning pain in your knee. This is because nerve damage to your foot has affected your nervous system’s ability to operate normally and the nerves around the knee may be misfiring. This can mean excruciating pain for you and a severely delayed return to work.
CRPS can affect your finances, your marriage, your family life, and your self esteem.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is key to getting help for CRPS. Sadly, sometimes CRPS is mislabeled as psychosomatic or imagined pain. Also unless you have an experienced worker’s comp lawyer who can argue to prove you have CRPS, your employer may try to skip out of his or her liability and short-change you the recompensation you deserve. Thankfully once you’ve received your diagnosis, physical therapy and pain management can help you cope with CRPS and enjoy life again.
Make the Right Call
While your boss is worried about when you can get back on the job, you are most likely worried about making ends meet while you are unable to work. You may also be worried about getting the benefits you are owed. Your employer is liable for any work related injury that occurs on site. Our job is to prove that the injury and resulting pain are work related and that you are entitled to worker’s compensation. Here at Sundquist Law Firm, we have over thirty years helping clients find reparation for construction accidents and other work related injuries. We are knowledgeable and proficient with dealing with the UCWCP. The UCWCP can be confusing and a claim will most assuredly be denied if the proper protocols are not followed. To get the maximum benefits, it is vital that you retain skillful and competent legal help.
If you are wondering if we work with your union, the answer is yes. We work with the following unions at Sundquist Law Firm:
- Heat and Frost Insulators Local 34 Laborers Local 1091
- MN Pipe Trades Laborers Local 563
- Bricklayers Local 1 Laborers Local 405
- Minneapolis Building Trades Iron Workers Local 512
- Millwrights Local 1348 Ibew Local 1426
- Millwrights Local 548 Ibew Local 343
- Laborers Local 1097 Ibew Local 292
- Glaziers Local 1324 Ibew Local 242
Elevator Constructors Local 9 Ibew Local 110 - United Brotherhood of Carpenters Building Trades Council
- Heat and Frost Insulators Union Ibew Minnesota State Council
- Carpenters Union Training Center Boilermakers Local 647
We are UCWCP experienced and we can help you. Contact us for your free consultation today.