Workplace accidents are very common and no matter how careful you are, there is always a possibility that an accident might occur. Of course, some jobs have higher rates of workplace accidents due to their nature. However, no matter what your job is, you are entitled to get compensated for lost wages, medical bills, and damage that befell you due to injuries resulting from a workplace accident.
Although you can’t control whether or not an accident would take place, you can always take all the necessary precautions and also prepare yourself with enough information about how to take legal action. So, on that note, read on to learn how to handle getting hurt at your job from a legal standpoint.
Seek Medical Help
Your health is your top priority and that is why the first thing you need to do when you get hurt at your workplace is to seek medical help right away. Even if you think that the injuries are not severe, leave that to the doctor to decide because sometimes injuries manifest after a few days or even months of the unfortunate incident. Therefore, you need to tell the doctor what exactly happened and inform them of all the symptoms you are experiencing, both minor and major. Make sure that everything is included in the medical report as you will need this report in your claim.
Furthermore, ensure that your employer is aware of the injuries you sustained as soon as possible. If you received medical attention from your personal physician, ask them to specify that the injury is work-related in the report.
Give Your Employer a Written Notice
After seeking medical help, you need to speak to your employer or supervisor about your concerns and report the accident to them. Give your employer a written notice of what has happened with a brief description of the accident and do not forget to write down the date. In some workplaces, the employer sets specific rules to follow in case of a workplace injury. If you do not have enough information about these rules, ask your supervisor to guide you through them.
Keep Notes
Write down everything about the accident and your injuries. In some cases, the employers refuse to admit that the injuries are work-related. Therefore, you need to have some sort of a reference to remind you of what has happened, which will come in handy when you file for a compensation claim. Documenting everything and keeping all the medical bills and receipts of all the expenses will help you get fair compensation. Moreover, keeping track of the days you had to miss from work will help you get compensated for lost wages.
Hire an Experienced Attorney
You need an experienced work injury lawyer by your side to represent you when you file for compensation. Most probably insurance adjusters will do their best to use your statements against you and avoid paying you fair compensation.
Moreover, some workplace injuries might take months or years to heal, and your compensation or benefits could get delayed. For this reason, the Georgia-based work injury lawyers at https://gregorysmithlaw.com/workplace-injuries/ recommend that you seek professional legal advice right away. Experienced lawyers will sit with you and guide you through the whole process. Filing a compensation claim is a complicated process that requires collecting many documents, so you need a trusted lawyer to walk you through it and manage all the paperwork needed to obtain fair compensation.
Communicate With Co-Workers
It is very common for your co-workers to be concerned and fear for themselves after your accident and injuries or illness. Therefore, you need to talk to them and explain what has happened in detail, so they can take better care while doing the same task you were doing before getting injured and to fully understand the situation and avoid any misunderstandings. Moreover, good communication may result in making things better at work and improving safety measures.
Workplace accidents are unfortunate events that can’t be anticipated. However, they can be well prepared by knowing your rights and taking the right steps to file for compensation. Seeking medical help should be your top priority. To file a compensation claim and receive fair compensation that covers all of the damages that resulted from the accident, you need an experienced work injury lawyer by your side to guide you through the complicated and stressful procedures.
Make sure that you have an accurate medical report, and keep all the receipts and medical information in a safe place until your lawyer asks for them. Workplace accidents can result in severe or minor injuries, and in both cases, you should receive fair compensation.
