Every year, workers all across America have an accident in the workplace. While some of the accidents only result in minor injuries, others can potentially result in life-changing injuries. However, it’s not always clear what you should do if you’ve been involved in a workplace accident. The good news is this article can help you.
Deal With Your Injuries First
One of the first things you need to do is get your injuries treated. You should do this before you do anything else. Once you have received the appropriate care on the day of your accident make sure that you get a copy of your medical notes. This is to ensure that you have evidence of your medical treatment.
Report The Accident
Once you have received medical treatment the next step is for you to report the accident. Report it to your employer within 24-48 hours if it’s possible. This will ensure your employer has a record of your accident.
Take Photographs
If you need to, take photographs of your injuries, and the area where you had the accident. Also, consider getting video evidence if you can. If you are unable to take photographs ask someone you trust to do this. This is so you can show the evidence to an injury lawyer.
If your injury is not too bad, you might be able to take photographs of your injuries before you receive medical treatment. However, this is only suitable if you are not bleeding or your injuries are not very serious.
Make a Note of Your Symptoms
Once you have received medical treatment you need to make a note of your symptoms. This is so you can show your lawyer and the court that you’re still suffering. Make a note every day and describe how bad your symptoms are. You don’t have to go into a lot of detail you can simply write down your pain level out of 10. in addition to this, you will need to mention where the pain, for example, is and how it’s limiting you.
Take Action
If you haven’t done so already, take action. Hire a lawyer to represent you if you wish to make a claim. This will ensure that you’re much more likely to receive the compensation you’re entitled to. It will also tell your employer that you’re serious and this could cause them to make the workplace safer.
Document Your Losses
How much time have you had off work? How much money have you lost because you’ve not been working? How much have you spent traveling to your medical appointments? Document all of your losses so your injury lawyer can show the court. These notes will ensure you’re much more likely to receive compensation. Don’t forget to add any future losses if you need on-going treatment or you’re not going back to work any time soon. All of this will also help the court to take your injury case much more seriously.