What is the name of your state? NY
I was injured on the job in 1998 (Sept). I was working on an ambulance at the time, the patient was pulled out at an angle by my partner, and I had to grab the patient to make sure he didn't fall off of the stretcher, or the stretcher get dropped. That's the mechanism of injury.
I was receiving approx $300 per week. It was dropped to $75 per week, but the judge was amazed by my lousy lawyer and raised it to $91 per week in spite of him, not because of him. Since then, I've had back surgery, and the lawyer never went back to court to try to get the comp raised. The injury is permanent, and includes nerve damage to the left leg because it took so damn long to discover a herniated disk in the lumbar area. I've been offered $25,000...S&S consist of limited bending and lifting (35lbs), no prolonged sitting or standing, no pulling or pushing, constant pain in the back and left leg, myophasial pain to upper back with slight disk protrusion, and am on pain killers and Flexeril indefinitely. There's no hope for a sex-life. As I said, I was offerred $25,000 to settle, and they refuse to offer more. I was informed that if I can get a part-time job, they'd have to raise my bi-weekly payment from $191 to the previous $300 (including whatever I make at the part-time job). So I've been watching 2 children and getting paid for that. Comp refused to even consider that a job. If I can finaggle a job in a different workplace, and so far people don't want someone with a back injury...but if I do, and they raise the payments from $91 to whatever, would the settlement offer also be raised? I'm a firefighter/EMT, and there's absolutely no way I could get a job in that field. I also have 2 degrees in criminal justice, but that line of work is out of the question as well. I had asked for $200,000 and thought it generous to ask so little. I have since lowered it to $120,000 and think it's still beyond reasonable. I'm looking at minor surgery as they try to numb the nerves in my back to get it to work better, and make the leg work better. I am going to the VA at this point, and believe me when I say they're not too good. HELP!! What are some options?? ??? Is it me, or is my lawyer crap? AM I expecting too much? Am I being unreasonable? I may be...I don't know, but if I am, PLEASE let me know...
I was injured on the job in 1998 (Sept). I was working on an ambulance at the time, the patient was pulled out at an angle by my partner, and I had to grab the patient to make sure he didn't fall off of the stretcher, or the stretcher get dropped. That's the mechanism of injury.
I was receiving approx $300 per week. It was dropped to $75 per week, but the judge was amazed by my lousy lawyer and raised it to $91 per week in spite of him, not because of him. Since then, I've had back surgery, and the lawyer never went back to court to try to get the comp raised. The injury is permanent, and includes nerve damage to the left leg because it took so damn long to discover a herniated disk in the lumbar area. I've been offered $25,000...S&S consist of limited bending and lifting (35lbs), no prolonged sitting or standing, no pulling or pushing, constant pain in the back and left leg, myophasial pain to upper back with slight disk protrusion, and am on pain killers and Flexeril indefinitely. There's no hope for a sex-life. As I said, I was offerred $25,000 to settle, and they refuse to offer more. I was informed that if I can get a part-time job, they'd have to raise my bi-weekly payment from $191 to the previous $300 (including whatever I make at the part-time job). So I've been watching 2 children and getting paid for that. Comp refused to even consider that a job. If I can finaggle a job in a different workplace, and so far people don't want someone with a back injury...but if I do, and they raise the payments from $91 to whatever, would the settlement offer also be raised? I'm a firefighter/EMT, and there's absolutely no way I could get a job in that field. I also have 2 degrees in criminal justice, but that line of work is out of the question as well. I had asked for $200,000 and thought it generous to ask so little. I have since lowered it to $120,000 and think it's still beyond reasonable. I'm looking at minor surgery as they try to numb the nerves in my back to get it to work better, and make the leg work better. I am going to the VA at this point, and believe me when I say they're not too good. HELP!! What are some options?? ??? Is it me, or is my lawyer crap? AM I expecting too much? Am I being unreasonable? I may be...I don't know, but if I am, PLEASE let me know...