The discomfort and limits you are dealing with after sustaining a shoulder injury in a major car accident or an on the job injury can have serious consequences on both your personal and professional life. The majority of workers’ compensation accidents involve the shoulders. When you stop to think about it, the shoulder is used for the majority of lifting, reaching, hammering, chopping, etc. These wounds may cause excruciating discomfort.
Our Maryland personal injury lawyers at Zirkin & Schmerling have assisted numerous injured people in recovering from a wide range of grave injuries. We are aware of the serious effects a shoulder injury may have on a person’s life and what it takes to recover and lead a happy and meaningful life.
What Are the Types of Shoulder Injuries?
Your shoulder could sustain a number of various types of injuries, depending on the origin of the problem. Most frequently, there will be a tear in the rotator cuff tissue. This is either a full-thickness rip, where the soft tissue is divided into two parts, severing it from the bone and creating a hole in the tendon, or a partial tear, where the soft tissue is damaged but not totally severed.
Further injury to the rotator cuff may result from a tendon tear. The bursa, the lubricating sac that eases discomfort and facilitates motion, can become inflamed and unpleasant, increasing pain and making it difficult to move the affected arm.
What Causes a Rotator Cuff Injury?
Generally, the rotator cuff is injured in one of two ways:
Acute Tear: This develops after a single event, such as lifting a significantly too heavy load or falling and landing on your shoulder. Due to the muscle being severely injured suddenly, this injury frequently comes with sudden, intense pain and may even make a popping noise.
Degenerative tears: These occur as a result of the shoulder tendon gradually deteriorating with time. Lack of blood flow, bone spurs in the area brought on by aging, repetitive stress from daily activities, particularly ones involving sports and manual labor, and other factors may contribute to these degenerative tears.
Understanding your specific type of injury will allow you to determine who is at fault for your injury.
Symptoms of a Shoulder Injury
The symptoms experienced from a shoulder injury can vary from mild pain to severe obstruction to daily activity, but the most common include:
● Shoulder pain while resting, especially when lying on your side
● Pain while lifting and lowering your arm, specifically out to the side
● Weakness when lifting and/or rotating your arm
● Crackling sensation in your shoulder when moving it in certain positions
What Are the Causes of Maryland Shoulder Injuries?
Personal injury claims often involve shoulder injuries from accidents on Maryland’s roads, at job sites, and at a wide variety of private and public properties. Below are some of the most common shoulder injury accidents we see at Zirkin & Schmerling.
Maryland Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents typically happen around wet surfaces, slippery sidewalks, crumbling pavement, and other floor-level hazards that cause people to lose their balance. The shoulder injury occurs when the person attempts to break their fall and harms their shoulder in the process. Property owners can be held liable for these injuries.
Maryland Car and Truck Accidents
Vehicle crashes are among the top causes of severe shoulder injuries. The powerful forces of a car crash can cause you to be slammed around, crushed, or even thrown from the vehicle. It can take months or years to heal from vehicle accident-related shoulder injuries.
Maryland Bicycle and Motorcycle Accidents
Your body has little protection from an accident when you’re riding a bicycle or motorcycle. If someone hits you, you’re at significant risk of a shoulder injury from the vehicle’s impact and/or from striking the ground.
Maryland Workplace Injuries
Work sites are some of the most common locations of shoulder injuries. You could be injured instantly in an unexpected workplace accident or your shoulder injury could arise over time due to repeated use. Talk to a Maryland shoulder injury lawyer who handles workers’ compensation cases and can weigh in on the full range of your legal options.
How Do You Hold the At-Fault Party Responsible?
You have the right to hold the person or entity that caused you harm accountable for the losses you have sustained if you were hurt without any fault of your own. Your incident will determine who is accountable for your injuries and how much compensation you are entitled to. The individual who started the situation is accountable if you are hurt in an accident, such as a car crash or slip and fall. You can apply for workers’ compensation if your shoulder injury was caused by repetitive stress from your employment. You need a knowledgeable lawyer’s assistance to determine what you should seek and how much you are entitled to.
Contact an Attorney Right Away
Workers’ compensation cases can become complicated. Don’t try to navigate these situations alone. Here at Zirkin and Schmerling, our Maryland personal injury lawyers prioritize our clients and make sure they understand the steps in the legal process. We pride ourselves on working closely with our clients to ensure they receive the compensation they deserve in workers’ compensation cases.
Contact us on our website or call us at (410) 753-4611 to set up an appointment with one of our experienced accident lawyers today.