Common Warehouse Accident Injuries

Warehouses play a critical role in Greenville, SC’s economy, but they are also the site of some of the most dangerous work-related accidents.

If you or someone you care about has suffered an injury on the job in a warehouse accident, protecting your rights and your rightful compensation is key to your recovery. An experienced Greenville workers’ compensation attorney at Dan Pruitt Injury Law Firm can help you do just that.

Common Warehouse Accidents

Every warehouse accident is specific to the unique circumstances that are involved, but most accidents in warehouses are considered one of several basic categories.

Warehouse falls

Falls on the job, including slip and fall accidents and falls from heights, are some of the most common and most dangerous work-related accidents. In fact, falls get top billing in OSHA’s fatal four, and OSHA’s most cited standard violation in 2021 was fall protection. Falls happen far too often with usually life-threatening injuries.

Warehouse forklift injuries

Forklifts are central to transportation in warehouses, but they are also heavy machinery that is closely associated with dangerous accidents, including all the following:

• Crushing accidents
• Accidents in which the forklift rolls over
• Loading and unloading accidents
• Caught-in-between accidents
• Crash accidents involving warehouse workers who are walking

Truck accidents

Semi-trucks regularly visit warehouses. Whether your work accident involves being behind the wheel of a big rig or simply loading and unloading them, truck accidents are a primary risk factor of warehouse casualties.

Loading dock accidents

Loading docks are integral to warehouse operations, and they are also accident hotspots.

Consider all the following common loading dock accidents:

• Accidents involving falling off the dock
• Crushing accidents related to loading and unloading
• Injuries related to heavy lifting

Overexertion

While overexertion in the workplace isn’t a one-time event, it is the cause of far too many warehouse injuries over time. Overexertion refers to physical stress caused by repetitive motion. When this motion involves the kind of heavy lifting common to warehouses, the overexertion injury can be that much more serious. Overexertion related to carrying, lifting and lowering, and pushing and pulling can all lead to serious physical impairments.

Injuries Suffered in Warehouse Work Accidents

While your injuries will be unique to you and the accident that causes you to be injured, there are several categories of injury that are commonly associated with warehouse accidents, including:

• Broken bones that are slow to heal, are extremely painful, can lead to complications, and can lead to chronic pain and serious losses in terms of the range of motion
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which, because they directly affect the brain, are dangerously unpredictable and can be life-altering
• Spinal cord injuries, which are often caused by an impact to the neck, shoulder, or upper back and can lead to lasting complications that include chronic pain
• Soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash, which are painful injuries that can seriously interfere with range of motion and are often difficult to treat
• Internal injuries, which can be exceptionally dangerous and can take longer than they should to identify and effectively treat

If the injury you’ve sustained is the result of overexertion, it can disrupt your range of motion in the affected area, can interfere with your ability to do your job and can lead to chronic pain.

How Workers’ Compensation Helps Warehouse Workers

If you suffered an injury on the job, workers’ compensation is your sole remedy. You can seek compensation for specific losses regardless of whose negligence is responsible for the accident that caused you to be injured, but there are limitations involved.

Workers’ compensation is intended to balance you and your employer’s rights and best interests in the following ways:

• You won’t need to prove your employer’s negligence to receive compensation for your losses.
• Your employer doesn’t need to worry about being sued via a personal injury case.

On the flip side, however, you give up the right to sue and pursue compensation for the pain and suffering you endure, and your employer gives up the right to fight the claim.

Your Compensable Losses

In a workers’ compensation claim for warehouse-related injuries, you can seek compensation for damages like the following (as applicable to your situation):

• Your lost income, up to a specific maximum and a specific percentage of your current wages
• Your covered medical costs, including your ongoing healthcare needs
• Permanent or temporary disability benefits
• Vocational training if you are unable to return to your warehouse position

When Can You Sue for an Accident at a Warehouse?

There are certain situations in which you can sue for injuries sustained on the job at a warehouse. These cases generally involve suing a third party who is responsible for the injury-causing accident, such as if a truck not owned and operated by your employer causes you to be injured in the loading yard.

If You Suffer a Warehouse Injury, Reach Out to a Greenville Workers’ Comp Attorney

At Dan Pruitt Injury Law Firm in Greenville, South Carolina, we help warehouse workers receive fair compensation for the past and future losses following a workplace accident. We have a wealth of experience helping valued clients like you successfully resolve their claims. We are on your side and here to help, so please don’t delay contacting or calling us at 864-280-7660 for more information today.

Warehouse Workers’ Compensation FAQs