When your employer tries to discourage you
This isn't a new phenomenon, but we've seen a bunch of injured workers of late who have been discouraged by their bosses after they have been injured on the job. Generally they are told something like, "Tell the hospital you got hurt at home and I'll pay your co-pay and for your time off work."
Some workers listen to this terrible advice. Some are worried about losing a job, some are just scared in general. Anyone who does this though is likely screwing themselves.
If you tell the hospital you got hurt at work when it happened at work, you are lying. If your boss goes back on his word (and trust us, they always do) then you will likely have lost your ability to win a workers' compensation case and in the least will have made it really hard on yourself. You'll have to go before a Judge and convince then under oath that when you were lying before you didn't mean it. That's not an impossible situation, but it's very difficult.
Even if your boss does help with the initial bills, what happens when you need to be off of work for an extended period of time? Do they have money to cover that? Can they pay for a settlement? If they could then they wouldn't be worried about their workers' compensation rates going up a tad from an injury.
Be smart and be honest from the beginning. It's the best thing for your long term health and safety.
We are workers' compensation attorneys that help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.
