Getting up and going to work for someone else is a reality for most people in America. Our employers help us put food on the table and clothes on our backs. Unfortunately, these employers can also cause us injury. When that happens, you need to be able to protect your rights when it comes to building a workers’ compensation case.
If you are ever injured while working, taking the following steps can help you recover the compensation that you are entitled to when it comes to work-place injuries.
#1 – Report Your Injury
Not reporting the injury immediately is one of the biggest mistakes we see clients make. Many people just want to “shake it off” and keep working, thinking they can work through the pain. Some employers also offer incentives for achieving a certain number of workdays without an injury, and it would be detrimental to you and your co-workers if you reported the injury. Unfortunately, many peoples’ injuries end up being far worse than they seem to be at the time. If you are injured, report the injury to your appropriate supervisor immediately.
#2 – Record Witness Statements
Often, we don’t really understand how a workplace injury happened. This is especially true when workers are knocked unconscious. Any time you are injured, if there are other people around, ask them what happened and ask them to write it down for you. Get as many people’s statements as possible because they may have seen the accident from a different perspective. One of them may have even caused the injury and might not be telling things exactly how they happened.
#3 – Seek Medical Treatment
Even if you think your injuries are minor, you should still have the injury examined by a medical professional. Head injuries and back injuries should be examined thoroughly for signs of concussion, compressed discs or fractured vertebra. Failure to seek medical treatment can be detrimental to your workers’ compensation claim down the line.
#4 – Document Your Injury
One of the best things you can do for your case is to document everything related to your injury. This includes:
- Taking pictures of the scene of the accident
- Writing down what happened from your perspective
- Detailing your injuries and pain level
- Keeping track of all medical appointments, diagnoses and treatments
- Collecting all receipts and invoices for medical expenses
#5 – Talk To An Experienced Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Talking to a workers’ compensation attorney, preferably before you talk to insurance companies, is an important step in receiving the compensation you are entitled to. Your employer may seem like they are on your side, but this is often not the case.
If you or a loved one has been injured on-the-job, speaking with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney can help take some of the stress out of the process. Trial lawyer Louis P. Lombardi has over 38 years of experience dealing with personal injury claims and will fight to get you the best possible monetary compensation. Contact us today for a free case evaluation or call 888-818-4343.