As an employee, accidents can happen in your office or workplace, causing serious injuries. You should file a workers' settlement claim if you are sure you got injured because the employer was somehow negligent. Nonetheless, filing one can be a challenging and stressful process. For this reason, look for a competent workers' compensation lawyer to help you. The process involves certain steps you can't successfully handle alone.
Furthermore, you don't know the kind of evidence you should present to prove that your employer is liable for your injuries. But even as you prepare to file a settlement claim, pay incredible attention to these three critical steps.
Get Timely Medical Attention
Anyone who sustains injuries in their workplace should first seek medical attention. You shouldn't delay seeking treatment just because your injuries seem minor. Doing so could have a negative implication on your case. You will definitely weaken your case if you can't prove you sought medical treatment immediately after sustaining an on-the-job injury.
However, getting timely treatment helps strengthen your case. You can even check with the company whether its compensation policies demand you seek treatment from a particular doctor. You shouldn't take timely treatment and the medical report lightly because they form the basis of your settlement.
Ensure Your Employer Is Aware
You should let the manager or employer know you got injured, and it's advisable to do it as fast as possible or within the statutory deadline. Telling them about it several days later could raise many questions and weaken your case. Even if your injuries seem minor, you should ensure the employer knows you got involved in an accident because you don't know what could happen later. And although you could do it verbally, a written letter could be more meaningful because it could later be used as a reference.
Get an Official Claim Form
Once you inform the employer about it, you should get an official claim form. If they hesitate to give you one, you can get it from the workers' compensation board. The information you provide helps determine the accuracy of your case and the amount you should expect. You definitely indicate the part of your body that got injured in the claim form and when the accident happened.
You also narrate how it happened and the kind of treatment you have received. If someone else was involved, you should indicate their name on it. And since you want to win and get a fair settlement, consider hiring a trustworthy workers' compensation lawyer to file it for you.
For more information, contact a firm like Willis Spangler Starling.
Share14 September 2022
