Your place of work is often the last place that many people expect to be injured, but accidents happen. If you were injured while on the job and it was due to someone else's mistake, you may be entitled to financial compensation. But in order to make a successful workers' compensation claim, you will have to make sure you have the details surrounding your incident down pat. Here are three things you need to do to ensure a successful workers' compensation claim.
1. Write Down Everything
The more documentation you have, the better off you will be. Start by creating a written account of the incident and include details like time, place and any witnesses that were there. Make it clear that you were correctly following company policy and note what it was that caused the accident to happen. If you can get a witness to also make a written statement about what they saw, this can bolster your case.
2. Don't Talk About Your Injury with Anyone But Your Doctor
A common mistake people make with workers' comp claims these days is to just start blabbing about the incident to anyone, including on social media. You want to document your medical condition but you don't need a million people running around who all might have heard a slightly different version of your story depending on what you said or how closely they were paying attention to you when you started talking about it. Having conflicting stories about your injury could come back to haunt you in the long run.
3. Hire an Attorney
While your company may have the option for you to submit a workers' comp claim directly to them, it is in your best interest to take a look at local workers' compensation lawyers and hire one to go to bat for you. Sometimes even just hearing the word "lawyer" can get your company to take the situation more seriously. If you are concerned at all that the company might try to push back on your claim, having a lawyer on your side can be the difference between getting what you deserve and being out of luck.
A good lawyer can help you make sure that all of your documentation for your workers' compensation claim is in order before you move forward. Reach out to a law office like Shay & Associates today while you are beginning to document your incident to ensure the best chance of success.
Share