If you have been injured at your place of work, the actions that you take in the first couple of days will determine how smoothly or how roughly the rest of the claim process will go. Make sure you avoid the following five mistakes.
Not Reporting the Injury to Your Employer
Some people are hesitant to report workplace injuries because they might be embarrassed, they don't think they have a serious injury, or they think they may get terminated. Not reporting your injury is going to create more of a problem for you in the long run if it gets worse or doesn't improve. The biggest problem is going to be the fact that you will have trouble proving the reason you are injured now is from an accident that happened several weeks and/or months in the past. Report injuries as soon as they happen.
Not Reporting the Injury in Writing
You need to report the incident in writing and provide copies to both your employer, as well as the company's human resources department. You also want to make copies for yourself to have for your records. If you just verbally tell your employer about the accident, there is no proof that you did so.
Not Getting Medical Attention Right Away
After you have been injured at work, it is important that you seek medical attention as quickly as possible. This is because the details of how the accident happened are still fresh in your mind. You may have a tough time convincing the insurance company that your injury is serious if you want to see a doctor later on.
Not Accurately Describing Your Injuries to the Doctor
Whether or not you are compensated, and the amount of your compensation, will mainly be determined by the injury report, as well as your medical evaluation and records. If you don't tell the doctor exactly what happened, how it happened, what injuries you sustained and any symptoms you may be experiencing, then they can't accurately do their job, which is to help you recover as quickly as possible.
Not Following Doctor's Orders
When you sustain an injury at work, the ultimate goal is to ensure that you recover from the injury in a timely manner so that you can return to work. However, if your doctor notices that you are not adhering to the orders that they have put in place, they will relay this information to the workers' compensation department and you may end up losing the ability to collect benefits. It is important that you attend all follow-up doctor appointments and that you follow any instructions given to you by your doctor.
When filing a claim for workers' compensation, avoiding mistakes will help to ensure that the process goes as smoothly as possible so you can get the compensation you need to take care of yourself and your family. For help making sure everything gets done correctly, speak with a law firm such as McKone & Unruh.
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