The aftermath of a construction disaster is chaotic—you’re wounded, in shock, and you have a lot of critical decisions to make on top of it all.
The paperwork is perplexing, you’re getting advice from all sides, and one incorrect decision may cost you millions of dollars.
Don’t be caught off guard. According to work injury legal experts, here are the top six post-accident blunders at construction sites you need to avoid at all costs:
1. Not Immediately Notifying Your Employer of Your Injury
Reacting in a state of panic, frustration, and shock to a workplace injury is normal. But it’s also a mistake.
In a study of OSHA penalties and injuries at construction sites, experts say that a lack of communication between workers, supervisors, and employers can lead to a delayed response to an injury. That delay may impact your ability to recover workers’ compensation benefits.
What should you do? Immediately consulting your employer about your injury is the first step to getting the medical care you need and preserving your workers’ compensation rights.
2. Failing to Seek Medical Attention
Commonly, injured employees fail to seek medical attention and return to work right away, which can quickly worsen their injuries. It could lead to further medical complications and more severe injuries.
The legal and medical impacts of not seeing a doctor after a work injury are numerous. The longer you wait to seek medical attention, the worse your injury may become, forcing you to pay for your medical expenses out of your pocket.
You may also miss out on legal rights to workers’ compensation benefits if your injuries have worsened and could have been avoidable if you had received initial treatment.
3. Not Documenting a Work Injury
Another common mistake construction and other workers make is failing to document their injuries.
For example, you may be relying on your employer to keep medical records for you. You may not have the foresight to document your injuries in case of a dispute later.
Documenting your injuries helps you and your attorney provide evidence of the severity of your injuries and determine the amount of compensation you should receive. Moreover, it keeps your employer from denying your injury ever occurred.
4. Not Seeking Legal Help Immediately
If you’ve been injured on-site, don’t be tempted to contact your employer’s insurance company on your own to try to get medical treatment and compensation without an attorney.
Moreover, don’t try to resolve your workers’ compensation dispute or injury alone. Injured workers need to seek a compensation lawyer to protect their legal rights.
5. Not Pursuing the Compensation You Deserve
Your employer may tell you to just go home and take some painkillers, and you’ll be fine in no time. They may inform you that you’re not eligible for workers’ comp benefits or that you’ll need to file a private lawsuit to seek financial compensation. Don’t listen to them.
If you are refused compensation, workers’ compensation lawyers advise you to seek legal representation. An attorney can help you pay your medical expenses and the compensation you deserve.
6. Hiring Lawyers without Expertise
You’ve been seriously hurt in a construction accident, so you start searching for lawyers. You find one that seems promising or comes highly recommended by a friend. They’re probably good, but are they really right for you?
Do they understand construction accidents, your injuries, and your medical and financial needs? In addition, do they know how to navigate through a workers’ compensation claim or handle the insurance company?
Most importantly, will they try to handle your case professionally and efficiently and get you the compensation you are due? It would help to consider these questions before hiring a construction accident lawyer to represent you.
Conclusion
Even if you and your family have health insurance, you should still consider hiring a workers’ compensation lawyer. Health insurance will pay for medical bills and may compensate for lost wages.
However, it’s not the same because construction companies have workers’ compensation insurance—designed to protect the rights of injured workers. When you become injured on a construction site, you need a lawyer who knows this field inside and out.
If you need an accident lawyer, call us at Ronemus & Vilensky. We are New York’s #1 accident and malpractice attorneys, rated within the top 100 attorneys of Metro New York from 2007 to 2020. We have been providing expert legal guidance to victims of injury, medical malpractice, and civil rights violations for many years.
If you have a case that you would like to discuss, please contact our attorneys. Every case we take is on contingency, which means you don’t pay any attorney’s fees unless Ronemus & Vilensky wins your case for you. Book your consultation today!