“Eman really knows his stuff and we were very pleased with our end result.”
Myretta & Thomas Knorr
✦ Board-Certified Specialist in Workers’ Compensation Law — State Bar of California ✦
Back injuries are the #1 workers’ comp claim in California — and among the most undervalued.
By Eman Yazdchi, Esq. · Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law
Back injuries are the single most common reason Taft oil field workers file workers' comp claims. The physical demands of drilling, pipe handling, pump servicing, and heavy equipment operation put enormous stress on the lumbar and thoracic spine. One bad lift, one fall, or one jolt from equipment can herniate a disc and end a career in the oil field.
Yazdchi Law P.C. handles back injury workers' comp cases for Taft workers at the Bakersfield WCAB. Attorney Eman Yazdchi is a California State Bar Board-Certified Specialist in Workers' Compensation Law, and he understands both the medical complexity of spinal injuries and the legal strategies needed to maximize recovery.
The Midway-Sunset Oil Field and surrounding operations subject workers to forces and conditions that are particularly damaging to the spine:
Heavy lifting and manual handling. Drill pipe, casing, tubing, valves, and equipment components can weigh hundreds of pounds. Oil field workers lift, carry, position, and connect these items repeatedly throughout the day, often in awkward positions on uneven surfaces.
Whole-body vibration. Operating drilling rigs, compressors, pump jacks, and heavy vehicles exposes workers to continuous vibration that accelerates disc degeneration. Studies consistently link whole-body vibration to lumbar disc herniation and chronic low back pain.
Sudden impacts and falls. Slip-and-fall accidents on oil-soaked platforms, falls from rig floors and catwalks, and being struck by moving equipment produce acute spinal injuries including fractures, herniations, and spinal cord damage.
Repetitive bending and twisting. Pumpers, mechanics, and service technicians spend hours daily in bent and twisted postures performing maintenance tasks. This repetitive loading leads to cumulative disc damage and facet joint deterioration over time.
Understanding the specific nature of your back injury is essential to maximizing your workers' comp claim:
Insurance companies handling Taft oil field back injury claims rely on predictable strategies to minimize payouts:
Blame degenerative disc disease. Nearly every adult over 40 has some disc degeneration visible on MRI. Insurers use this to argue that your herniation is age-related, not work-related. Under California law, if work activities aggravated or accelerated the degenerative condition, the claim is still compensable.
Deny surgery through Utilization Review. Even when the treating physician recommends surgical intervention — fusion, discectomy, laminectomy, or artificial disc replacement — the insurer's UR reviewer frequently denies it. Your lawyer can appeal through Independent Medical Review (IMR).
Push for an early return to work. The insurer's Agreed Medical Examiner may release you to modified duty before you have adequately healed, risking re-injury. Your attorney can challenge premature work releases with independent medical evidence.
Underrate permanent disability. The insurer's doctor may rate your permanent impairment lower than warranted, reducing your settlement or award. A board-certified specialist knows how to challenge inadequate ratings.
Disc herniation from pipe handling. A floorhand on a rig in the Midway-Sunset field herniates his L4-L5 disc while handling drill pipe. The insurer accepts the claim but denies surgical authorization, insisting on six more months of physical therapy. The worker is in severe pain and cannot work. Yazdchi Law appeals the UR denial through IMR and obtains surgical approval.
Cumulative lumbar damage from 20 years as a pumper. A long-time pumper in the Taft area develops multi-level disc disease and stenosis from decades of bending, lifting, and driving between well sites. His cumulative trauma claim (LC §3208.1) covers the entire period of injurious employment, potentially involving multiple employers and insurers over his career.
Fall from a tank catwalk. A gauger falls 15 feet from a storage tank catwalk onto hard-packed ground. He suffers a burst fracture at T12 and requires surgical fusion. Because the catwalk lacked required guardrails, a third-party claim against the tank owner supplements the workers' comp recovery.
Back re-injury on light duty. A worker returns to modified duty after an initial back injury. The employer assigns tasks beyond the doctor's restrictions, causing a new herniation. This is both a new injury claim and potential grounds for LC §132a penalties against the employer.
Back injuries are complex because the medical evidence is often ambiguous — degenerative changes cloud the picture, subjective pain is difficult to quantify, and the line between conservative and surgical treatment is debatable. You need a lawyer who understands spinal injury medicine and knows how to build a case around it.
Attorney Eman Yazdchi brings:
Injured at work in Taft? Call (661) 273-1780
Tap to call →A back injury from oil field work in Taft can end your career in the industry. The workers' comp benefits you receive will shape the rest of your life. Do not leave that outcome in the hands of an insurance adjuster. Contact Yazdchi Law P.C. for a free consultation with board-certified specialist Eman Yazdchi. We will evaluate your back injury claim, explain your options, and fight for the full benefits you deserve. Call today.
Ready to discuss your case? Schedule a free consultation.
Schedule Free ConsultationRead more testimonials →“Eman really knows his stuff and we were very pleased with our end result.”