Sustaining a workplace injury can change your life dramatically. In most cases, you’ll find yourself worrying on too many things, including the severity of your injury, your financial capacity to pay your hospital bills, and the things you should do to get your normal life back in no time.
Thus, if you’ve suffered a workplace injury, below are the four steps to take from the get-go:
- Get Yourself Checked For The Injury
One of the first things you should do after being injured while at work is to seek immediate medical attention. This is an important consideration to make, especially if it appears that the injury is minor. However, there are instances wherein the signs and symptoms of a serious injury don’t immediately appear until a few days or weeks.
That said, it’s important that you get yourself checked as early as you can to avoid further complications. Moreover, providing treatment for your injury can go a long way toward your physical recovery. Plus, the medical report from the physician can serve as an evidence in case you need to file a workers’ compensation claim or an injury lawsuit claim.
- Record The Accident And Injury
When it comes to a workplace injury, it’s crucial that you get the accident and your injury recorded. In some cases, employers may hesitate to record what happened to protect their performance records. For that reason, you should find a way to record what happened to ensure the protection of your rights.
Also, by securing a record of the accident, you’ll be able to protect yourself against wrongful dismissal in the event your employer will attempt to fire you due to the cost arising from the accident. But, before making any move, it’s best to speak to your attorney first to ensure you do the right thing.
- Collect Relevant Information
If you want to get compensated for the injury sustained after an accident, you shouldn’t forget to gather as much information as you can. That way, you can make sure you receive the right compensation for your injury. Some of the information you should collect can include:
- Medical records – It’s important to obtain copies of all your medical records so you can keep track of your medical expenses. When you have this kind of information in place, you can be accurately compensated for being injured while working.
- Photos of the accident scene – Another essential documentation that needs to be done is the photographs of the accident scene. This is especially true if your injury was caused by the employer’s failure to provide you with the right safety equipment.
For example, if you’re working in a construction site, your injury may be due to some critical workplace safety hazards, which your employer failed to inspect. And, to understand the impact of these hazards in a workplace accident, check some resources online to find more information. On the other hand, when you have these photographs in place, you may be able to prove your employer’s failure to provide safety at work.
- Correspondence with your employer – Be sure to put all the written correspondence with your employer in a secure folder. By doing this, it’ll be much easier for you to present pieces of evidence against your employer when necessary. This correspondence can include in-person conversations, telephone calls, emails, letters, and many more.
- Contact information of the witnesses – If there are witnesses to the accident, don’t hesitate to collect their contact information. You may need their testimonies later on to help you obtain the compensation you deserve.
- Choose Your Remedy To Get Compensated
When you’re injured in the workplace, it’s essential to note that you have two legal remedies to help you get compensated. However, unless you’re a legal expert yourself, you need the assistance of a reliable attorney to help you determine the right remedy according to your personal circumstances. Generally, the two common remedies can include:
- Workers’ compensation claim – Workers’ compensation refers to a type of insurance that offers benefits, such as medical expenses and wage loss to an employee who’s injured while they’re working for their employer. But, since rules regarding workers’ compensation vary from one state to another, you should consult an attorney to help you in the filing of your claim. That way, you can ensure the filing process is done on time and without lapses.
- Personal injury claim – Receiving benefits from workers’ compensation means you can no longer sue your employer or any at-fault party for your work-related injury. This means that workers’ compensation is considered an exclusive remedy. That’s why if you’re not covered by this insurance, you may have the option to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover compensation. Just be sure to hire an injury lawyer to increase your chances of getting fairly compensated.
The Bottom Line
Suffering an injury due to a workplace accident can be traumatic. However, you should keep in mind that you’re not alone in dealing with this type of accident. By following the steps mentioned above, you’ll know exactly what to do to get the compensation you deserve and get your life back in no time.