People spend a significant portion of their lives at work. While jobs can be incredibly rewarding, the amount of time spent at work increases the chances of an on the job accident.
These are some tips to keep in mind if you’ve gotten hurt at work.
Tips If You Have Been Hurt at Work in Louisiana
1. Report Your Injuries
There is sometimes a tendency for people to attempt to hide an injury to avoid causing any problems with their job. This is a bad idea because it creates the potential for an employer to deny that an injury occurred or that it occurred while you were at work. Also, if you don’t report your injury and wait too long to bring a worker’s compensation claim, your employer will likely say that the claim is untimely.
2, Document Everyone and Everything Involved in Your Accident
In Louisiana, injured workers are typically limited to a worker’s compensation claim against their employers. In short, this means that you cannot sue your employer in court and are instead only entitled to have your medical bills paid and to receive a portion of your wages paid while you’re unable to work.
However, this will not necessarily prevent you from bringing a claim against an individual or company that is separate from your employer. This is why it is critically important for you to know exactly what caused your injury and what other individuals and companies were potentially involved in causing your accident.
Remember that the worker’s compensation limitation noted above does not apply to seaman who are injured while working on vessels.
3. Ask to See Your Own Doctor
Your employer has an obligation to provide you with (and pay for) medical care relating to your accident. But, they will undoubtedly send you to the company doctor. While you may like the company doctor, keep in mind that you have a right to see a doctor of your choice. You may lose this right if you sign paperwork designating the company doctor as your doctor.
4. Discuss Your Case with a Louisiana Work Accident Lawyer
Work accidents can get very complicated, particularly in industrial operations and other situations where multiple companies are working together on a job site. If you’ve been involved in a work accident, you should call a Louisiana work injury lawyer to talk about your case. You may not see all of the potential claims and could potentially miss out on the chance to get compensated for your losses.
Call (504) 564-7342 to discuss your case with The Mahone Firm. There is no charge for a confidential case evaluation.