Depending on the situation, a workplace injury can be one’s worst nightmare. It can cause serious physical injuries that can lead to death.
If you’ve been injured at work, you might be distressed and confused right now, thinking about what to do next. Who will pay for your healthcare? Is there a way to make up for the income you lost? How long will you be out of work?
Fortunately, there are ways to recover compensation after a work-related accident. The most common is workers’ compensation, but there’s another one that might be available at your disposal. This is called a work accident claim, a personal injury claim.
With a favorable work accident claim, it’ll be easier for you to make ends meet. Although there’s no way to find out how much compensation you’ll be receiving, there are things you can do to ensure you get every penny you deserve.
1. Seek Immediate Medical Attention
Seeking immediate medical attention after an accident is good not only for your own health but also for your work accident claims. This can help prevent insurance companies from denying or reducing your compensation to a minimum.
If you wait a few days for medical care, your claim will look like a scam. After all, if something terrible happened, you might have already visited a doctor, right? This is a simple logic most insurers use to deny or minimize an otherwise legitimate claim.
So, seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if you don’t feel any pain. Why? Sometimes, pain doesn’t factor in but may do so later, and it might be more severe than you previously thought.
A medical doctor can perform some tests to check everything about your condition. They can also find out if there are underlying conditions you might not be aware of and prevent them from getting worse.
2. Consider Hiring A Personal Injury Lawyer
If your compensation case is relatively simple, there’s no need to hire a personal injury lawyer, especially if your insurance provider is willing to pay your claim. However, consider hiring one if your insurance provider:
- Denies your claims
- Reduces your benefits
- Issues an unfair settlement offer
- Ignores your requests
A personal injury lawyer ensures that you will be compensated fairly. Plus, they’re well aware of the mediation process, including the pros and cons of mediation, and can represent you in court in case an appeal takes place.
3. Record What You Can From The Day Of The Accident
Of course, your top priority is to seek medical care after a work-related accident as soon as possible. But if you can still move, make sure to record everything in sight. If you have a smartphone with you, use it to take pictures or videos.
Then, take note of the following:
- The time and date of the accident
- The weather condition, if necessary
- The road condition, if necessary
- The points of impact, especially if large equipment is involved during the accident
These pieces of information will be critical throughout the compensation process. In fact, these will be the foundation of your claim.
Usually, work accident claims don’t settle immediately and may require litigation, especially when your insurance provider consistently rejects your claims. Your lawyer will have to work hard no matter how long it takes so you can be fairly compensated.
4. Be Careful Of Private Investigators
If your insurance provider doubts your credibility, they might hire a surveillance team to keep an eye on you. The surveillance team will watch you wherever you go, hoping you make mistakes that will contradict your work accident claims.
Private investigators may use various methods to spy on the claimant. They can do surveillance, background checks, and contact witnesses. Unfortunately, surveillance footage can be misinterpreted.
If you suspect you are being followed by a private investigator hired by an insurance company, it’s best to contact your lawyer and inform them about your situation. It would also be helpful if you could document any suspicious activity or evidence of surveillance. Lastly, avoid posting anything online that could contradict your claim or damage your credibility.
5. Inform Your Colleagues About Your Accident
Make sure to inform your work colleagues about your accident, especially those you trust the most. Why? Because they:
- Can help avoid similar accidents from taking place in the future
- Can provide statements crucial to the investigation if a testimony is needed
Depending on your injuries, your employer might advise you to take a leave of absence. Although the intention is good, beware of this period. Your employer might change everything involved in your accident (e.g., systems and equipment) to ‘cover up’ what happened.
Plus, your employer might suggest that an investigation should take place during this period. Facts relevant to your claim case might be overlooked while you’re away, reducing your chances of receiving fair and just compensation.
Moreover, your employer might convince other employees who knew what happened to deny the incident. That’s why it’s important to choose someone you trust the most—people who will never be swayed by the company.
6. Seek An Independent Doctor
Your employer would probably refer you to the company doctor. In general, there’s nothing wrong with this, but it’d be better to seek the opinion of another medical professional.
But why should you do so? Note that the company doctor is also an employee of the company as well as its insurance provider. They might receive some incentive if they can disregard the severity of your accident, reducing your compensation.
As despicable as it may be, it happens. Therefore, always consider getting a second opinion from a different doctor. That’s the only way to ensure you won’t be played by your employer.
7. Be Consistent With Your Statements
From your initial hospital visit to your incident report, you want to ensure that your statements remain as consistent as possible. If your statements contradict each other, your insurance company can deny your claims or reduce your compensation to a bare minimum.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been hurt at work, you can file a work accident claim to pay your medical care bills and compensate for income loss. However, you’ll never know how much compensation you’ll receive. But there’s a way to get the most from your claims. You may follow the tips presented above or, better yet, hire a lawyer to represent you throughout the process.