There is nothing, and I mean nothing, more important than your health. And an experience by a recent caller shows that ignoring your health after a work injury could really cause problems.
The caller was working at a small factory when he hurt his back. He went to the doctor right away, but became concerned that his boss was mad about the injury so he ignored his doctor’s advice to get follow up medical care. He took care of himself with ice and Tylenol. He was in a ton of pain, but did his best to work through the pain. This was about one year ago.
Earlier this year he got laid off when the factory closed. He went for a new job and failed the physical because of his back problems. His wife finally was able to convince him to go to the doctor and a MRI showed that he has a herniated disc that may require surgery if physical therapy doesn’t cure him. The doctor could not say for sure that the problem was related to the work injury, but thinks it might be. He did say that likely one month or so of treatment would have made him better at the time.
So now he sits here with no job, a terrible back that got worse because of his delaying medically treatment and while he may have a valid workers’ compensation claim, he’s made it incredibly difficult to win his case. In the best case scenario, we’d have to take depositions of multiple doctors and go to trial. While that is going on, months will pass by and he will be no better off physically.
I get why he didn’t want to rock the boat last year, but he was looking out for the company and not himself. They don’t care about him and as a result he’s screwed now that they are closed and he is ill.
The moral of the story is that if you aren’t feeling well, don’t be a hero. Go to the doctor. The longer you delay getting treatment, the more likely you are to have a long term injury. Major problems don’t just resolve themselves. And if you ignore this advice you might end up like this poor guy. Even with the best lawyer in the world, his life is going to be miserable for a long time.
We are workers’ compensation attorneys who 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.
