Should I Report An Injury At Work?
Any time you’re injured on the job, you should report the incident to your employer as soon as possible and contact a work injury lawyer as soon as possible. It’s important to ask your employer where you should go for medical care and to get authorization for treatment. Some workers’ compensation carriers do not cover unauthorized medical treatment unless it is considered an emergency.
It’s also important to refrain from giving any written or recorded statements or signing documents for the insurance carrier prior to discussing your rights and responsibilities with an attorney.
Does My Work Carry Worker’s Compensation Insurance?
It’s often likely that your place of employment has worker’s comp insurance. However, it is important to know for sure. According to Florida Law, any workplace that employs four or more people must carry worker’s compensation insurance.
There is one exception to those in the construction industry. Construction companies must carry worker’s compensation insurance even if they only have one employee. Agricultural businesses, like farms, must have 6 full time employees or 12 seasonal employees that work over 30 days in order to be required to carry insurance for workers.
If your job does not employ the number of people required for insurance, they may still have it. However, if they are required to have it, but don’t and you get injured on the job, you probably have a good case. Contact a work injury lawyer, like Teresa P. Williams, P.A. and protect your rights.
Some Common Work Injury Related Mistakes to Avoid:
- Don’t assume that your employers or the insurance company will make it easy for you to file a worker’s compensation claim.
- Don’t delay reporting an accident. Even if you don’t think you were injured. The longer you wait, the easier it will be for witnesses, including yourself, to forget the details. If you wait to file a report or claim, your employer will find this suspicious, even though you are probably reporting factual data.
- Don’t forget to document everything. A verbal report alone is not enough. A written report should be submitted and should include the following information:
- Precise time of the accident
- Precise location
- How the accident occurred
- Name and contact information of all witnesses
- Refuse any off the books settlement by your employer. This is actually illegal and if this happens you should contact a work injury lawyer immediately.
- Don’t refuse to seek help when you need it, as this type of law can be quite complex.
