What to Do After a Catastrophic Work Injury
After working hard to support yourself and a family, suffering a serious or catastrophic injury at work and facing an uncertain future is devastating. Medical bills mount at the same time you are unable to return to work. Unlike a temporary injury, a catastrophic injury is one with permanent consequences, such as disability, chronic pain, cognitive impairment, loss of limb, or disfigurement.
After a catastrophic work injury, it’s crucial to take action to protect your legal rights with an injury claim, as well as your physical and financial future.
What to Do at the Accident Scene After a Workplace Injury
After suffering a catastrophic injury at work, you could be unconscious or incapacitated, forcing you to rely on others at the scene; however, if you can take purposeful action while waiting for help, you can begin the process of safeguarding your future by doing the following:
- First, call 911 to report the accident and request an ambulance if no one else has called
- Apply emergency first aid
- While waiting for emergency services, use a cell phone camera to photograph the injury if it’s visible
- Photograph the cause of the injury, such as broken scaffolding, crashed vehicles, malfunctioning equipment, or a fallen object
- Report the injury to an immediate supervisor or manager
- Ask for a supervisor to fill out an accident report
- Note the names of eyewitnesses
It’s crucial to go immediately from the worksite to a hospital, not only for the critical care you need, but also to provide clear evidence that the injury occurred in the workplace and not elsewhere.
What to Do During the Days and Weeks Following a Catastrophic Workplace Injury
A severe injury often requires painful medical procedures, surgeries, and physical therapy. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed, but taking the right steps during this time helps to streamline your financial recovery so you can focus on your physical one. After a workplace injury, do the following:
- At the hospital, ask for a complete medical evaluation as well as treatment for obvious critical injuries. This helps to diagnose, treat, and document additional injuries with delayed symptom presentation
- Ask for a detailed medical report with your medical team’s recommended course of treatment and your prognosis for recovery
- Carefully follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations, make it to every appointment, and fill every prescription
It’s also beneficial to your case to avoid posting on social media until after you’ve resolved your claim. Insurance companies often take photos and comments out of context to use against injury victims with costly injuries.
Contact a Georgia Workplace Injury Attorney
Although employers are generally protected against direct work injury lawsuits except in cases of egregious conduct, a third-party lawsuit against responsible parties such as contractors, maintenance agencies, property owners, or manufacturers often brings substantial compensation in workplace injury cases.
After a catastrophic injury at work, the at-fault party’s insurance company may quickly reach out with a settlement offer. These are almost always lowball offers made before you know the full extent of your future damages and require signing away the right to a lawsuit. Instead of speaking with the insurance company, hire a workplace injury lawyer as soon as possible after the accident and then direct the insurance adjuster to talk with your attorney.
How Can a Georgia Workplace Injury Lawyer Help?
After giving your all to your job, you deserve the full compensation available to you after an on-the-job injury. Contact Piasta Walker Hagenbush, LLC to learn about your right to compensation after a catastrophic work injury.