If you are injured at your job, you may wonder what will come next. While some employers are very accommodating to their employees who suffer injuries, others create a situation that makes an employee feel anything but cared for by their employer. Because of this, there may come a time when you decide to hire an attorney to help you through the process. In fact, here are some instances where hiring an attorney is not only smart, but a necessity.
Employer Disputes Your Injury
While you know you were injured on the job, your employer may decide to think otherwise. This happens frequently when injured employees don’t report their injuries immediately, letting days pass before notifying their supervisor. When this happens, expect your employer to question if you were truly injured while at work.
A Denied Insurance Claim
While insurance companies supposedly exist to help people when they are injured, it often does not work out this way. In fact, your employer’s insurance company will probably do all it can to deny your claim for one reason or another. Should this occur, don’t hesitate to hire an attorney who is experienced in workers compensation law. Since many of these cases are settled out-of-court, having a lawyer on your side who excels at negotiations can get you the compensation you need and deserve.
Employer Allegations
In some cases, your employer may allege that you were drunk or high while on the job, were performing a task in a manner that made it dangerous, or were in fact performing tasks you were not authorized to perform. Whatever the case may be, any of these allegations that are left unchallenged could derail your workers’ compensation claim early on. Should your employer be making allegations that could damage your character and reputation, hire an attorney to get to the bottom of what really happened.
An Objective Medical Opinion
When you suffer a workplace injury, it is very common for employers to coerce their employees into visiting doctors affiliated with the employer. In doing so, the company can almost guarantee its doctor will either minimize the injuries or state they were not suffered while on the job. If this happens to you, don’t allow this deceptive practice to keep you from gaining the compensation you need for medical bills and lost wages. Since you are allowed to visit your own doctor if you so choose, always hire an attorney to protect this valuable legal right.
As a loyal employee, you deserve to be compensated should you sustain an injury while at your job. By having an experienced workers’ compensation attorney by your side, chances are you will come away with a fair and equitable settlement.