How To Protect Your Legal Rights When Suffering An Injury In The Workplace

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Getting injured while at work is probably the last thing you would think would ever happen to you, but accidents happen all the time and sometimes things happen that are outside of your own control. If you are injured at the workplace and the injury is due to someone else's carelessness or mistake, you may have the right to make a workers' compensation claim. If you want to protect your legal rights, here is what you need to do immediately following an injury.

Report the Injury and Seek Help Right Away

If you are injured on the job, you should tell your employer right away and seek medical attention. Don't try to tough it out for the rest of the day or wait until your shift is over to get help. If there is a significant delay between the time you were injured and the time you reported it or sought help, your employer (or your employer's attorney) may try to say that this evidence that the injury is not that serious. Don't give them that chance.

Get a Second Opinion 

When you first file an injury claim as a result of something that happened in the workplace, there's a good chance you will be required by your company to be seen by a doctor covered by your employer's insurance company. You should cooperate with everything you are asked to do, but know that you have the right to seek out your own medical doctor as well. If you don't like the finding by the doctor hired by your company or its insurer, seek out a second medical opinion.

Contact an Attorney If Needed

Hopefully, your company will do right by you and take care of everything to your satisfaction. But if you get even a hint that things are going sideways, you should consult a workers compensation attorney immediately. Sometimes if your company knows you already have an attorney, they will move quickly to bring things to a resolution instead of letting it drag out. Sometimes all it takes is one phone call from a lawyer to get people to start to see things your way.

If you are injured in the workplace, you should inform your employer and seek medical attention at the first opportunity. If the medical attention is provided by a doctor suggested by your employer, know that you have the right to seek out another opinion. For best results, contact a workers compensation attorney as soon as possible.


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