Your life and financial circumstances can be thrown into chaos in a matter of moments if you suffer an injury that leads you to take a period of time away from work or means that you can’t return at all if the accident is extremely serious and life-changing.
It can be difficult to think straight in such traumatic circumstances and that is a good reason for getting some injury lawyers on your side to help ensure that you receive the medical and financial help that you are entitled to.
There are also some important ground rules and protocols that you should follow in the immediate aftermath of an accident at work and it is good to know what these are because a wrong step of agreeing to something that is not in your best interests could put the success of your claim in jeopardy.
Make sure you report your injury straight away
There are various compelling reasons why you should report the full details of your accident as soon as you are able to do so after the incident.Make sure you are aware of your employer’s procedures for reporting an accident and follow that protocol strictly so that it is in line with these requirements.
Quite clearly, if you have suffered a bad injury and need to go straight to the hospital it is unlikely that filing a report is top of your immediate priorities.
The general period of time allowed to file a report to your employer is ten days and you should aim to get details of your injuries and the circumstances surrounding the accident filed well before this deadline.
It matters to follow these rules as it could harm your claim if you fail to report the incident in a timely manner.
Make sure you get medical attention
It would be a wise strategy to accept any offer of medical treatment and follow any treatment program that is suggested in order to help your recovery and rehabilitation process.Another point to remember is that you are not normally obliged to see a doctor of your employer’s choosing and it would be much more preferable to get an independent medical assessment.
Your chosen physician will be able to evaluate the extent of your injuries and confirm whether you are fit to return to work of whether your condition prevents you from doing this.
Make sure you record all of your medical costs and how many workdays you miss
Your focus of attention is clearly going to be on recovering and getting treatment for your injuries but aim to find the time to keep on top of what you are spending on medical expenses and how much in wages you have missed out on.
Documented evidence of how much the injury has cost you will help to support your claim for compensation at a later date.
Get some professional help
Last, but definitely not least, on your priority list of things to do is to seek out a lawyer who can handle your injury claim for you.Claims for compensation relating to injuries at work can be complex affairs and it only takes one mistake where you say or does the wrong thing to give your employer or their lawyer the opportunity to either deny or greatly reduce the value of your claim.
You need to focus on recovering from your injuries and putting your case in the hands of a professional who knows how to file a claim and negotiate a settlement will take away a lot of hassle that you don’t need at such a difficult time.
