This post will discuss the top five mistakes made after a job injury. See the list below:
Mistake #1: Refusing to Report Your Injury Right Away
If an employee is injured on the job, the injury must be reported to the employer right away. Of course, if it is necessary to receive emergency medical attention after the work injury, such as going to the hospital for emergency room treatment, then do that first. But afterward, it is important to report the injury to your employer. After an injury that is sustained on the job, the details of the injury will be the clearest for the most accurate recall of events on the day that it has happened, or at the least, the next day.
After you are home and recovering from your loss, which may include taking painkillers, you will be in a type of daze over the events of the prior few days. That is the time for you to concentrate on recovering from your injury, and you may start to forget the details of the loss, which will be important when you make your claim for workers’ compensation. These important details will be a part of the investigation, and you need to think of your loss and injury report as the most important document you have to fill out. It is not a bad idea to jot down dates, times, and important details such as who witnesses the injury if you can do that right after the loss. This may help bolster the investigation to show what happened on the day of the loss, based on the details you can accurately provide.
Mistake #2: Refusing to Report Prior Injuries
If you have had a prior injury to your body, keeping this a secret is not a good idea. All prior injuries need to be reported when you have a job-related injury. As most people are not board-certified medical doctors, nurses, or other certified medical healthcare professionals, you don’t know how an injury can exacerbate a prior injury without a professional diagnosis from a doctor. This is not the time to diagnose yourself and keep half of your medical history hidden from the doctors. By reporting your injuries and past injuries properly, you’ll be able to ask, determine and find out exactly what prior injuries that you already have that may be making your current injury worse. This could be a critical factor to help with your recovery after an injury on the job. Any prior injury that you have needs to be reported, don’t try to decide an old injury “doesn’t matter,” as it probably does have significance to your claim in the long run.
Mistake #3: Refusing to Report all Related Injuries
If you have been injured on the job and do not want to report all of the injuries for fear of losing your job, you are making a mistake. No matter what you think, the injuries related to the loss sustained on the job all need to be reported at once when there is a loss on the workplace premises. If you hurt your finger, back, and left toe when you fell at work, every injury needs to be reported in the first report. Always report every injury, even if you think it is a slight strain or sprain, as that same minor injury may worsen over time or be triggered to become worse based on another injury sustained on the job (now or before).
Mistake #4: Refusing to Go Back to Work Once Cleared
The reason for being off of work to recover after a work-related injury is to heal and go back to work again. If you choose not to return to that job for any reason once you are cleared, then you need to take the necessary steps to terminate your status as an employee with the employer. Going off of work for recovering a work-related injury does not automatically “fire” you from the job, nor does it stop any responsibility that you have to advise your boss or employer of your status as an active but recovering employee.
Mistake #5: Refusing to Get an Experienced Attorney for your Case
Any time you experience an on-the-job injury and do not seek proper legal representation, you are putting yourself up for losing the case against large insurance companies. These huge insurance companies are well-versed in the ins and outs of finding ways to reduce your claim. The insurance company for your employer works for your employer as the insured party – not for you. And the team of legal and insurance adjuster specialists sees various similar claims to your own day in and day out. They know precisely how to maneuver a case to the swiftest and least expensive conclusion. Their only job is to settle all claims for their employer (your boss) on the side of saving as much money as possible – and getting away with it! This is not the time to think that you will save any money in the short or long term without getting an attorney to help you at each step of the way. By not securing an experienced attorney to help you with your case, you will be losing money. An experienced attorney knows the laws backward and forward and will get you the money you deserve on your case.
Learn More About The Top Five Mistakes Made After a Job Injury
When you have a workers’ compensation case, we are here for you to help you at each step of the way. To know more details about the top five mistakes made after a job injury, contact us or give us a call at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm if you have been injured at work and need to file a workers’ compensation claim. Our team of injury and accident attorneys is highly qualified to manage your workers’ compensation case from start to finish. We are here for you, and you can call today for the peace of mind you deserve when you have suffered an injury on the job and need to file a workers’ compensation claim.
