Life After a Roofing Injury: Understanding the Support Available

Roofing is skilled, physical work that isn’t without risk. Handling equipment, changing weather conditions, and working at a height can mean that if an accident does happen, the consequences can be serious.

An injury can change everyday life in ways that are difficult to foresee. There may be a period of rehabilitation ahead, questions about returning to work, and financial concerns about paying bills and supporting a family. Therefore, understanding the support available if you have experienced an injury at work, can make everything that comes next a little clearer.

Recovery Looks Different for Everyone

After a serious injury at work, the immediate priority is, of course, seeking medical treatment. However, recovery from a life-changing injury can extend beyond the initial stage of hospital care and is different for everyone, depending on the level of injury an individual has experienced.

For some, ongoing rehabilitation could include physiotherapy as well as psychological support for emotional wellbeing, and, depending on the severity of their injuries, they could also require specialist equipment or adaptations to their home.

Getting back to work can be another significant concern. Given roofing is a physically demanding job, and the chance an injury could affect mobility, returning to the same role could be difficult. Therefore, an important part of recovery is helping someone explore ways of returning to their existing job or explore different forms of work.

However, it is important to note that recovery isn’t simply about getting somebody back to work. It is about helping them regain as much independence as possible and understanding that life can continue in a fulfilling way, even if it looks different to before.

Dealing with Financial Concerns

A serious injury resulting in needing time away from work can understandably create immediate financial pressures. It may also cause anxiety around future earnings, especially if someone is expecting to work as a roofer for many more years, and suffers an injury that may leave returning to the same job in doubt.

Where an injury has been caused by somebody else’s negligence or a failure to maintain a safe workplace, a personal injury claim may help address some of these concerns. But it’s worth highlighting the purpose isn’t simply to secure a compensation payment at the end of a claim. In serious injury cases, there is also an emphasis on obtaining the rehabilitation a person may need to rebuild their life.

How Can Slater & Gordon Help?

At Slater & Gordon, we support with more than investigating whether somebody has a compensation claim.

Our specialist serious injury lawyers can look at the circumstances surrounding an injury, gather evidence, as well as help establish what happened and who may have been at fault.

Our lawyers work with medical professionals, rehabilitation specialists and case managers to understand what someone needs now and is likely to need in the future. This could include specialist medical treatment and rehabilitation, specialist equipment, possible adaptations to someone’s home, loss of current and/or future earnings, and the possibility of returning to work.

Again, it’s important to know that the recovery process differs from person to person given it depends on a variety of factors, so it’s important not to feel pressure regarding the speed of recovery.

Life Continues, Differently

Whilst suffering a serious injury could mean life isn’t what it once was, we want to help those who have experienced an injury at work know that with the right support, it is possible to rebuild a life that is fulfilling. It may look different, but it can continue in a new way.

For more information, visit the Slater & Gordon website.

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