Getting hurt on the job is never a good thing. This experience can leave you stressed, in physical pain, or even suffering from financial loss. Although we all want to think our jobs have our best interests in mind, sometimes that’s not enough to protect us from harm.
Here’s everything you need to consider if you were hurt on the job and are considering contacting a personal injury lawyer.
What Type of Accident Was It?
What type of injury or accident are you suffering from? This could be anything from a slip and fall to a crushing accident or anything that has generally harmed you. Although you won’t want to think about this at the time, it’s vital that you take pictures of any evidence of what happened to you and the surroundings you were in that caused this to happen. Make sure you seek medical care first, but this is still vital. If you can’t do this, have someone who’s there with you do it to ensure that it’s clear what happened to you.
Could Your Work Have Helped You Avoid This?
Is there anything your job could have done to help you avoid this injury? Not only is it important for your job to take your injuries seriously, but it’s vital that they do everything they can to avoid workers getting hurt in the first place.
This means keeping machinery properly maintained, keeping clear signage, making training mandatory, and keeping the facilities safe and clear for employee use.
How Badly Were You Hurt?
Although all pain is horrible and shouldn’t happen from the place where you’re employed, it does come in degrees. Getting a migraine from terrible lighting is very different from having bones broken from a tragic fall or forklift injury. Talk to a medical professional, and have them assess your injuries. Take clear notes, and try to gather paperwork on any medical care you get.
Did You Have to Lose Work?
Did your injury lead to you missing work? Whether you had to call off for a couple of days to emotionally get through what happened to you, or you had to lose work for a couple of weeks because you physically couldn’t get your job done: it’s vital to keep track of this.
You shouldn’t have to be penalized out of the money you’d make while working because you were injured on the job.
Did You Suffer From Financial Loss?
Financial loss can be stressful to go through, and it’s even worse when your job was the cause of it. If you suffered financial loss from this injury, either through medical bills, therapy, or loss of or damage to personal items, it’s time to talk to a lawyer. This includes if your vehicle, phone, or equipment was damaged. Although many assume personal injury lawyers only help if you were physically hurt: financial damage is real.
You Deserve to Get Compensated For Your Injuries
If you were injured at no fault of your own, you deserve to get compensated. Make sure to contact a lawyer if you feel like your job was negligent.