Should You Get a Lawyer After Your Workplace Injury?

Getting injured while on the job can be traumatic. You may worry about how your injury will affect your ability to work or how you will cover the medical bills associated with your recovery. All of this may make you wonder if you will need to hire an attorney. There are a few factors a person should consider when determining whether hiring an attorney is the right option for them.

Situations That Typically Do Not Require a Workers' Compensation Attorney

If the injury you suffer at work is minor and will completely heal with treatment, it is unlikely that you will need to hire a lawyer. Insurance companies rarely dispute claims if it’s clear that they are work-related, they don’t require long-term treatment, extended time off from work is unnecessary, and injuries are not permanent. For example, suppose you slip and fall at work and twist your knee. The doctor looks at it and orders you to take painkillers and stay in bed for a few days. However, since your job does not require a lot of physical activity, you are able to get back to work within a couple of days and your injury is completely healed within a few weeks. In this case, workers’ compensation will likely handle your trip to the doctor and associated fees without question.

Workers’ Compensation

Workers’ compensation has been designed as an administrative process that makes it easier for employees to get the compensation they need. When there is a straightforward claim and no dispute by either the insurance company or employer, you might handle a claim on your own. Unfortunately, things are not always that straightforward. Some workers may need or benefit from hiring a workers' comp lawyer. Riverside lawyers frequently interact with individuals who have suffered an injury at work and need to make a claim that is not covered by workers’ compensation. Other examples would be crew members on ships, railroad workers who work on an interstate, and individuals who have injuries that are not clearly related to the job.

When You Would Need to Hire a Lawyer

Another scenario is where you are in a dispute with the insurance company. In this scenario, you may benefit from having a lawyer represent you. Be sure to do your research in order to find a great and qualified lawyer to represent you. This is because you will need to gather evidence to counteract what the insurance company is saying. This might include depositions, outside medical examinations, testimony by expert witnesses, and the collection of documents. All of this requires someone who has knowledge and skill of the legal field. For example, if your claim gets denied because the insurance company says that your injury is not work-related or that you took too long to file a claim, an attorney may advise you. You do have the option to appeal the denial of your claim using the workers’ compensation system. The legal mechanism varies, depending on where you are filing the claim. However, you are generally required to fill out a lot of paperwork and use legal tools to compile the evidence you need.

Another scenario where you might benefit from a lawyer is if you have a pre-existing condition that affects the same part of your body that got hurt at work. This will be a challenge for you because the insurance company is going to try to blame your injury on your pre-existing condition as opposed to your work activities. This is more likely to be the case if you are dealing with an injury caused by repetitive movement or something that develops slowly as opposed to a traumatic injury that happened as the result of a single work accident. The severity of your injury and the impact that your injury will have on your life from now on should also be considered when determining whether you will hire an attorney. If you can never work again, you will need to get the most out of your workers' compensation claim. An attorney may structure your compensation in a way that it will last well into the future.

Getting injured on the job can change your life in several negative ways. Working with an attorney may help you get the compensation that you need to live the best quality of life possible.