Workers Comp Help
Back Injury From Operating Heavy Machinery
It all began in July of 1998. I was running a trakhoe clearing land for a new road in Florida. The machine I was put on had a seat which the foam padding was torn from. My duties involved digging up large trees and breaking them up into smaller lengths so they could be burnt in pits which I also dug. The seat had metal bars exposed and my back stuck them respectively for a period of one week. I filed reports with my supervisor telling him my back was hurting me from hitting the metal bars in the lower portion of the seat. I told several other supervisors and they did the same as mine, they shrug it off as if they didn't hear me. I filed several other reports on the seat and finally my supervisor told me if I didn't like it to hit the road, I wish I would have just hit the road now. I woke up on a Sunday morning and couldn't move so my wife took me to the hospital.
The staff at the hospital took ex-rays and said they could see signs of compression in my back. I was then referred to a orthopedic surgeon by the insurance company, the visits went on for over 4 weeks and the doctor kept saying there was nothing he could do for me. The Nurse Case manager assigned to me called this doctor several time demanding that they give her a letter saying I wasn't cooperating with them, I have all this documented. Isn't the nurse case manager supposed to help, instead of stabbing you in the back? I thought so too.
The insurance carrier kept insisting on this doctor seeing me so in a desperate attempt he called me and said he was going to have to put me on MMI. I could hardly walk and I immediately made one last appointment with this doctor to discuss other options available to me. He referred me to pain management which the carrier refused. I was discharged to the population. The carrier then very quickly made another appointment with another Orthopedic surgeon in hopes of getting me put on MMI. This doctor also referred me to pain management which the carrier also denied. This other doctor also said t!
here was nothing he could do for me and also discharged me. I have been diagnosed with Severe Nerve damage, Stenosis of the spine, paralysis in my left leg, chronic pain, and severe depression. It has been several months since I have received any hel For a system that is supposed to help it sure destroys alot.
All I can say to anyone is Never Give Up! Never!