I always assumed that personal injury cases where pretty straight forward. After being in an accident, any financial losses that you suffered would be reimbursed by the liable party's insurance company. Unfortunately, things only work this way in a perfect world. In the real world, personal injury cases are extremely complex and getting the insurance company to pay a fair settlement requires the expertise of an experienced injury lawyer. Unfortunately, it took me several months to finally seek out the legal assistance I needed. As a result, I waited much longer than necessary to get the compensation I so desperately needed. During this time, I learned more about personal injury law than I ever thought I would. It is my hope that this blog will allow me to share that knowledge with you so that you can avoid making some of the same mistakes that I did.
Work should be a safe environment where you can perform your duties, but that does not mean that an accident is not possible. You probably know that you need to report the incident--no matter how small--to your employer as soon as you can, but there are a few things to consider when reporting an incident. This guide will show you how to report an accident to make sure you are ready should you need to take your accident to court.
Reporting Deadline
The first thing you need to know is how long you have to report your incident, as some employers may be able to suspend you from work should you fail to report your incident. Some employer's require that you report the incident within 24 hours, although the United States Department of Labor (OSHA) states that you have 2 years to report the accident.
You should know that reporting late could give your employer an opportunity to deny that the incident occurred at work and could help your employer win the case. So be sure to report as soon as possible.
Pointers For Reporting
You should also make sure you consider the following when reporting your accident:
Talk to your worker's compensation lawyer about other pointers that may be helpful to you, should you be involved in an incident at work.
Reporting Externally
You can also report the incident externally through the OSHA if you are unable to report the incident at work. Reporting through this agency is easy and sends you the information and report as soon as the information is recorded.
You can talk to a worker's compensation attorney for more information on OSHA or anything else you have a question about. But, as an employee, knowing how to report your incident properly should be helpful if you have an accident while you are at work.
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