One of the tough things Illinois workers’ compensation lawyers – and probably people in most industries – have to deal with are perceptions that people have that don’t match reality. People read the internet or talk to people who have had work injuries previously and get ideas in their head that just aren’t true. Or worse their employer lies to them and makes them think something is true that isn’t.
This thought came to me recently when I talked to someone who works with a large Illinois employer that has a lot of work injury cases. They have a ruthless insurance company who handles all of their cases and doesn’t always follow the rules. This worker has a major injury and told me that, “So far they’ve done everything right. I’ve thought about getting a lawyer, but I’m worried they will mess with me if I do.”
Now is it possible that an insurance company or employer will retaliate if you get a lawyer. I guess it’s possible. But what we do as lawyers is deal with predictors of success and what things are most likely. And the 100% truth is that a good lawyer is more likely to protect you and prevent problems than they are to make your situation worse. And this particular call was a great example of that.
While the caller thought everything was going well, it turns out that the insurance company has had a nurse case manager go to the medical appointments. That nurse has been talking to the doctor and trying to influence the treatment that is given. That is against Illinois workers’ compensation law. Beyond that, the insurance company made the worker think that they couldn’t choose their own doctor.
So the reality is that this worker is already “being messed with” and this is just what I know from a quick phone call. There are so many other ways that they can screw around with you. Some examples we’ve seen over the last 28 years include:
- Not paying weekly TTD benefits at the right rate.
- Sending you to an IME to try to have you cut off.
- Conducting surveillance on you.
- Taking a recorded statement where twist your words around.
- Not calling back.
- Delaying payment of benefits for no reason.
- Telling you they are “investigating” when nothing is really happening.
- Having private investigators reach out to you on social media disguised as someone else.
The bottom line is that you have to be careful and can’t for a minute think that they are in any way looking out for you. These big, billion dollar insurance companies care about making money and nothing else.
So while we can’t promise you a result without knowing the facts of your case, we can promise you that in almost every situation you will do better with a lawyer than without. And that’s true whether you find one through us or a good one through another resource.
