Well about a week before xmas, I was doing outside work in cold, it had just snowed a day earlier, lots of ice on the construction site I was working on. I was pulling fiber optic lines between two buildings. The manhole I was working in had ice covering the entire area id say the iced area was about 30' x 20'. This was sprung on us at the last second at 7am in the morning, (we start at 7am) we didnt even have prior days notice that we were going to be working outside. If we did, i would have had better boots, something with better traction that regular steel toed work boots.

Anyway during the pull process, I was walking out some fiber. Well I took the wrong step and both my feet came out from under me. I must have dropped 3 feet directly on to my back and then my neck and head hit hard. I was on the ground for at least 5-10 mins. There were a coupe of witnesses to the whole thing. I was helped dup and quickly went to file an accident report my job site foreman for my company. Well a couple of days later it started hurting really bad i got pain down to my ass and just stiffens up on me. My neck makes horrible crunching noises most of the time, when I move it around. The pain radiates from the middle of my back down to my ass and up to my neck. Ive had nothing but pain. headaches from the neck pain, sleepless nights..etc.

The reason I never went to a doctor was because I knew my job was coming to an end, and i was going to be laid off. I couldn't really afford any days off, and i sure as shit didnt want to be looked at that since my job was coming to end that ID pull a fast one. I also thought that Id just wait it, and that it was nothing more than a pulled muscle. Well im finding out that its alot more than pulling a muscle and now am gonna head to a back specialist this week.

Im not one of those people that are always off and on workers comp. I am unemployed right now and living comfortably with my unemployment benefits in NJ and with he money I have saved up. Any thoughts or experiences that you guys may have is greatly appreciated.

 

Should have filed for Worker's Comp immediately, as it is now they may be able to say you aggravated your work related injury or reinjured yourself on your own time. You would have recieved treatment and rehab as part of the package, and you would not have been able to be laid off until you were able to return to work.