According to the Chiang Rai Times | As an adult, you spend a lot of time at work. While certain jobs may be more hazardous than others, no matter where you work, even with safety protocols in place, there’s a possibility that you can get injured on the job. When that happens, you need to know whether or not you should be working with a work injury attorney. To answer that question, there are some signs you’ll need to look out for.
5 Signs You Need to Contact a Work Injury Attorney
1. Your Claim Gets Denied by Your Employer
There are a variety of different reasons why your employer might deny your claim, including that you didn’t provide any notice of the injury or there is a lack of medical evidence. Having your claim denied can be devastating and scary. If you’re like most people, you probably won’t challenge the denial for fear of losing your job.
However, your employer can’t fire you after filing a claim for being injured on the job. If you were legitimately hurt at work and your employer refuses to pay, working with work injury lawyers in Houston could help you get the compensation you deserve.
2. You’re Waiting Too Long for Your Benefits to Be Paid
After filing your injury claim, your employer will then send that information off to their insurance company where it is reviewed (if they have coverage). How long this process takes will depend on the reviewers, but they will have a deadline they’ll have to meet. If they don’t reject or accept your claim within that time limit, or your employer is taking a long time to pay, it’s in your best interest to start looking for a work injury lawyer.
Working with a professional can ensure that you get the benefits you’re owed; you may even get a penalty fee for having to wait so long for your compensation. No one wants to make large payments, so your employer or the insurance company will do what they can to get out of paying—but you should get what you deserve, so don’t let anyone make you wait longer than necessary.
3. You’re Offered a Settlement That Doesn’t Cover Your Medical Bills
As mentioned, insurance companies and businesses don’t want to pay more than they have to, so they may offer you a settlement. While this amount may look like a good deal upfront, you need to make sure the payments are going to cover your past, current, and future medical bills that are related to your work-related injury.
Once you accept the settlement, trying to get more money from your employer or their insurer is going to be extremely difficult. If you are offered money and the amount seems too low, contact an attorney and find out if you have received an accurate estimate. Should the amount be less than what you deserve, the attorney may be able to help you get more.
4. Your Injury Results in Partial or Total Disability
If your work-related injury has resulted in a partial or total disability, your ability to earn a steady income to sustain your quality of life will be severely hampered. Disability payments are often larger than typical work-related injury payments, and if you don’t know your rights, your employer or their insurer may try to get out of giving you what you deserve.
You shouldn’t have to settle for less. You didn’t ask to get injured on the job or to be disabled as a result, so talking to an attorney is essential when it comes to making sure you can live your best life possible. It’s in your best interest to know what your rights are. Having this information will let you know when your rights are being infringed upon and when it’s a good idea to speak to an attorney.
5. Your Employer Retaliates Against You
A lot of people are afraid to file claims if they were injured on the job due to fear of retaliation from their employer. It has happened, and there are a lot of workplace discrimination cases in the U.S. However, there are federal laws that protect you from employers retaliating against a work injury claim.
If you get demoted, your pay gets decreased, or you get fired after filing a claim, you need to talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. It is illegal for your employer to take these actions against you; they can’t punish you for filing an injury claim. It’s bad enough that you got hurt at work, your employer shouldn’t make things worse by retaliating against you.
It doesn’t matter if your job site has safety protocols in place and you follow every single rule, there is no way to totally prevent workplace injuries. If you aren’t sure whether you need an attorney or not, there’s no harm in contacting one to ask questions. It may work to your benefit.
