UNITED STATES—Have you ever been injured at work? I know for most Americans it is something that never happens. However, I recently suffered an injury at work that left me a bit out of it. It was very hot, and I think I just was dehydrated, as a result I got a bit light-headed and struck my head against a wall. It hurt, but I didn’t feel too bad, but then something happened that totally knocked me out.
I think I knew I was getting ready to fall and I was grabbing for whatever I could to keep myself up, and grabbed hold to a large monitor and in the process it tumbled knocking me strong into the head, striking my shoulder and back quite hard and then I hit the ground. To be honest, I had to be out of it for at least 5-10 minutes.
It happened so quickly, I honestly did not realize that I injured myself more than I had thought unfolded. I had to sit still for at least 5 minutes after regaining my consciousness. Beyond being dizzy I was a bit disoriented as well. I truly had no idea what happened, and someone had to explain to me what unfolded.
As a result, of course the company would not let me resume work without being checked out because they don’t want to be held liable for any injuries inflicted on me. Of course, the immediate check was to my head/skull to ensure there were no significant injuries or blood. Luckily, there wasn’t, but I felt the pain. However, I didn’t know how bad it was until the following day.
I couldn’t believe that pain that was inflicted on my body. I have a massive bruise on by back and shoulder. It was throbbing so badly I didn’t sleep for almost 2 nights straight, and it feels like nighttime is when the pain returns. The back is tender. That is the thing about pain it doesn’t come right away, but it was so bad, not only couldn’t I lie on my back, but I couldn’t lie on my side.
The pain was throbbing and just non-stop. I started to think well did I cause more injury to my body than I expected. My body just needed rest and recovery, as I had no idea how roughly that monitor fell against my body and hurt it in the process. Am I looking to sue my company as a result of it? No, the company will cover any insurance related issues as it pertains to hospital visits or tests that have to be conducted.
This is just a reminder that you have to be cautious of what you do in the workplace. The situation could have been far worse, but thankfully that was not the case. However, just because the injuries aren’t obvious right away, doesn’t mean the body has not suffered some sort of pain so I will have to have further evaluations.
