If
you are injured at work either through a specific incident
(such as hurting your back while lifting) or through repetitive
trauma (such as developing carpal tunnel syndrome through repetitive
activities with your hands), we recommend that you do the following:
- Report
your injury to a supervisor as soon as possible. Once reported,
an accident report should be completed and you should get a copy.
Please note that under the law, you are required to report an injury
within 45 days of when you knew or should have known that your
injury is work related. Although this standard has been loosely
interpreted, the sooner you report your injury, the better.
- See
a doctor. The most important thing in any workers' compensation
claim is your health.
- Write
down the road exactly what happened to you. Hopefully you will
get better right away. However, if you find yourself in an arbitration
hearing down the road, you want to be sure that you know all of
the important details of how you got injured, who witnessed the
accident and who you told about it.
- Be
honest. Tell your doctor everything that is bothering
you and give a history to your doctor and employer of how you injured
yourself. It is important to tell the truth and there is no need
to exaggerate. If you remember something that you forgot to tell
your doctor or employer about how you got injured, let them know
as soon as possible.
- Communicate. If
you do not return to your doctor, he will assume you are better.
If that is not the case, you could encounter problems as you try
to collect benefits. In addition, if you are authorized off work
or placed on a light duty job, let your employer and worker's compensation
insurance representative know of your condition. If they do not hear
from you, they may assume that you have abandoned your job.
- Learn
your rights. We recommend that if you are injured at work that
you speak to an attorney to make sure that you understand the benefits
you should receive under the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act.
Speaking with a lawyer does not mean that you have to hire them.
**Please
note, all content on this website is for informational purposes only.
Nothing on this website should be considered to be a legal opinion.
If the reader desires a legal opinion, they should contact our office
or another attorney. In order for the Law Offices of Michael J. Helfand
L.L.C. to represent you, it requires a written agreement in which
you agree to retain us as your attorneys and we agree to represent
you as a client.
|
