Workplace injuries can be serious. Many industries entail some form of risk to the employee. It’s the responsibility of the employer to ensure the workers are able to complete their tasks in a safe manner. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Mistakes happen. Accidents occur. And this can often lead to an employee with a serious injury that leaves them unable to return to work.
So what should you do if you find yourself in such a situation? How can you be sure to get the treatment you deserve without paying large medical bills out of your own pocket? And how can you get compensation should the accident be the result of a failure by your employer?
The very first thing you need to do if you are hurt on the job is seek medical treatment. Your safety is the number one priority. All following steps will be completed in time. The only one that is time-sensitive is your well-being.
Seek the help of a medical professional as soon as you notice something is wrong. The severity of your injury will dictate the speed at which you need to seek medical treatment, but you should err on the side of speed. Severe injuries will require you to be rushed to the hospital while more minor injuries won’t require emergency speed. Do a quick inventory of your injuries to decide the safest way to proceed.
As soon as you feel you are safe and not in a position where your injuries can become any worse, you need to alert your employer about your injury. This includes a full explanation of what injuries you sustained as well as everything that led up to your injury. Who was with you? What was going on? Was it the result of human error, a technological problem, or a combination of the two?
Any future compensation is going to be a result of how your communication goes with your employer. This includes workers’ compensation claims or anything beyond that should you decide to seek legal action.
Your medical records will have documentation of the treatments you received but you should go another step further in recording the damage you suffered. This includes taking pictures of any injuries and writing down how it affects your day-to-day life. Are you able to continue working? Does it affect your home life? Are you in pain?
These factors play heavily into the compensation you deserve. The unfortunate fact is that these claims get funneled through insurance companies. And insurance companies are in the business of finding the cheapest ways out of these situations. It’s in your best interest to have real-time recordings of how your injury has changed your life.
Workers’ compensation is available to people who are injured while they are at work. It is in place to cover lost wages due to time lost as the result of an injury, as well as the medical expenses incurred. These claims are handled through your employer’s insurance agency.
However, there are some circumstances that workers’ compensation just doesn’t cover. Perhaps your employer is trying to pin the blame on you for your injury and refusing to cover the amount of expenses they should. So filing for workers’ compensation should be your first move to see how willing they are to help you. And if you are unsatisfied with their coverage or feel uneasy in any way about the process, it’s time to reach out the workplace injury lawyers at Bart Durham Injury Law for help.
These processes can take some time. And if your injury is serious, you are going to be in pain. Keep in mind that your health is the top priority so you need to be sure to continue taking care of yourself. Don’t force yourself to go back to work before you are physically capable. Don’t downplay your injuries for any reason.
Continue seeking medical treatment and following the advice of your doctor. The compensation is going to come as a result of the circumstances and the resulting injuries. Getting better isn’t going to hurt your chances at getting a fair settlement.