Don't Rely On The Wrong People After A Work Accident
If you have a work-related injury, you might assume that certain people are on your side. Unfortunately, that assumption could lead to not only disappointment but delays and problems with your workers' compensation claim. To find out what you should do to protect your own interests, and to avoid depending on the wrong people after a work accident, read on.
Who is on Your Side?
You may trust your employer to have your back, but businesses don't operate on goodwill, they are made to make a profit. When an employee is hurt on the job and files a workers' comp claim, that can create a ripple effect of problems for the employer. The employer has to pay the workers' compensation insurance premiums, and those premiums are based on how many claims are made against the policy. Then you must consider how losing an employee, even temporarily, will affect the employer.
Now take the workers' compensation insurer. Like all insurance businesses, they don't make money when they have to pay out on claims. They keep things profitable by slowing down the claims process, denying claims, and then paying as little as possible to the hurt worker. None of these people are on your side.
Take Proactive and Positive Action
It's up to you to make sure you are paid for your work-related injury. To protect yourself from those who don't have your best interests at heart, you must document everything and get help from a workers' comp lawyer when things go wrong. Here are some tips on doing those two important things:
- Begin keeping a journal of your injuries. Use it to record everything you can about the accident and everything that happened afterward. Date each entry and be as detailed as possible. Be sure you note all conversations you have with your employer, the doctor, and the workers' comp carrier.
- When you speak to your doctor, be very precise about your injury. Don't just say that you are in pain. Discuss the type of pain you are feeling, the location of it, how often it occurs, etc.
- Speak to a workers' comp lawyer about your efforts to attain benefits. If you are having problems getting paid the benefits you deserve, you can take action. Your lawyer can help you with the appeals and mediation process and more. Once it's time for settlement talks, your lawyer can negotiate for a settlement that covers your needs going forward
You don't have to put up with being treated poorly by employers or an insurance carrier. You have rights, and you must be the one to assert them by keeping careful records and getting a workers' comp lawyer on your side.
Reach out to a job site accident law firm, such as Allen Law Group, to learn more.