The best thing you can do if you happen to get hurt on the job is ask experienced compensation attorneys for guidance. We understand you will probably not seek the services of a work comp lawyer prior to getting injured, so this article will outline the important steps to be taken right after you have been injured in the workplace.
Report your injury to your manager
The most important thing you should do if and when you get hurt while performing job duties is let your manager know about your injury. If there were any witnesses, remember them and make sure you have their contact details. If there is any evidence, it should be collected. If possible, the accident site should be photographed. However, keep in mind there may be some security or confidentiality restrictions preventing you from taking photographs.
After your injury has been reported to your superiors, you should be provided with a form for making workers’ compensation claims in California, which is known as DWC-1. If your superior fails to give you the form, remember that it’s your right to ask for it.
The claim form is filled out by both parties, meaning you and your employer. When the form is fully filled out, request to be given one copy of it.
Filling out the workers’ compensation claim
When you are writing the claim, make a point of including all the body parts that were possibly injured in the claim. To illustrate this, we can use an example – if an object should fall on your shoulder, but it is your back that hurts, you should list both the shoulder and the back as injured body parts.
It will be possible to amend the claim later, but when you initially fill it out try not to leave out anything. That doesn’t mean you should lie or misstate anything, but it’s better to include more rather than less. Finally, you will be examined by a doctor to determine the scope and severity of your injuries.
Don’t be afraid to assert your rights
It’s disappointing how many workers decide to keep silent about getting hurt on the job because they are afraid of losing their employment. The reality is very few employees get terminated after reporting a personal injury, chemical exposure injury or any other work-related injury. The workers’ compensation law protects employees from that and it’s illegal to terminate an employee because they have sustained an injury in the workplace and reported it. Employers are aware of the law and don’t wish to get involved in a costly lawsuit.
Do your best to report the injury in the shortest period possible, because that will drastically improve the chances of actually recovering the compensation you deserve.
Have an experienced workman’s comp lawyer fight for your rights
Having professional legal guidance is extremely valuable when you are asserting your employee rights in a compensation claim. If you are looking for a competent Orange County workers compensation attorney, make sure you give Workers’ Compensation Attorney Group a call. Our expert compensation attorneys are always ready and willing to review your case free of charge and without putting you under pressure to hire us. Just bear in mind that our aggressive, experienced and ethical attorneys work for a contingency fee, which means you only pay for our services when you recover your compensation. Do not hesitate to call us – we are always here for you!
