Kenneth
Wiley,#2UPDATE Employee
Wed, May 21, 2008
I also have a back injury, but not from the seat. If you had followed the company guidlines, like I did, you would have been taken care of. 1. Always put the information on the qualcomm, even if you have just talked to your dispatcher. 2. Company handbook instructs you to call safety and make a report. Your dispatcher isn't responsible for this. 3. Make sure you contact follow up on your injury, there are 8000 plus drivers, and YOU or ME are not #1 priority. By following the guidelines, that are in the handbook, and stressed in orientation (I have sat through plenty of them, now that I am temporarily working in the office) you would have been sent to a physician, put in a motel and offered transitional duties while you recieved treatments from a Werner paid medical staff. They have more than taken care of me and we have two others here in Henderson recieving the same great care. I have no complaints whatsoever. I hope that you find another job but this time use your head, and if your trainer doesn't know the answer, call safety. Good Luck!
M
Red Oak,#3UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, October 31, 2007
I worked in management at Werner. They not only have a fleet of trucks, they have a fleet of attorneys. I can assure you that they will fight you all the way on this. You must have an attorney who cares about your well-being and will fight for you.
Steven
Jacksonville,#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, October 29, 2007
I have the same problem. This doesn't make one leg longer than the other. You probably have a pinched sciatic nerve aka sciatia and or sacrolitis. I don't know what kind of insurance you have you may want to get together with a neurologist for spine, pain management, and physical therapist. They can help with treatments so that you can have some of your activities. I don't know what kind of impact it will have with your driving. You may have to take oxycodone or hydrocodone pills for the pain. I read on some other sites that you cannot drive for 24 hours after taking these pills. Not sure if that help you with any claim info or not. If you can prove you got the injury while heavy lifting should be able to get workmans comp. Read up on causes of sacrolitis as well. But Werner may say you caused this yourself but not putting the drivers seat in the correct position.
Deborah
Grand Junction,#5UPDATE EX-employee responds
Thu, October 25, 2007
I worked for Werner for 3.5 years, drove for 12 plus years now, and have been through the WC wringer (not with Werner). I'm going to start with your original post, and then I have a question about your update: First, and I cannot stress this enough, do all but the most complex of communications between you and your fleet manager (aka dispatcher, supervisor, etc.) by Qualcomm or other such device if available, especially if instructed to do otherwise regarding accidents, injuries, safety issues, and hours of service issues. Second, if the injury is job related, you need to hire an attorney that specializes in Workman's Compensation cases, one with no ties to Werner, the truck manufacturer, or anyone else that might be party to the nature of the injury. I know it seems ridiculous, but a lawyer must get involved. Your time is limited to deal with this, so get the lawyer as soon as you read this. On the "update," I'm not sure what you mean by it. Are you saying you told the company doctor that you were moving furniture before the pain began, or are you saying the doctor falsified records? If the former, yeah, it's not work related because it happened off the job (unless the furniture move was part of an assigned load or other employer ordered assignment). You might have a case if work aggravated the injury to the point of disability, but I wouldn't hold my breath on that one. If the latter, file a complaint after you obtain an attorney on the WC issue with the state's (where the doctor examined you) medical board and Attorney General. On the phone records, it won't matter much unless you have Qualcomm records at about the same time as the call to back up what the call was about.
David
Summit,#6Author of original report
Mon, September 17, 2007
It wasn't Werner - although they did take their sweet time, it was a doctor who wrote into the record that I was "moving furniture" instead of driving a truck. For that reason Worker's Compensation was denied.