- Workers' Compensation
When you get hurt at work, you should be able to count on your employer to take care of you. This is especially true if you’ve been working there for a long time. You consider yourself a loyal employee. The last thing you expect is to find out that your workers’ compensation claim has been denied. You may be shocked. You may be angry.
However, these feelings aren’t going to get your workers’ compensation claim paid. What you should do is reach out to an experienced Miami workers comp lawyer. They can review your claim and let you know what your options are. You may just need to appeal your claim. In the worst case, you may need to file a lawsuit against your employer.
Before you worry about the next steps, you need to let your Miami workers comp lawyer know what you’ve done so far. Here, we will discuss some of the biggest mistakes employees make after filing a workers compensation claim. If you’ve made any of these mistakes in your own case, there’s still hope.
Call our office and schedule your free, initial consultation. Your Miami workers comp lawyer may be able to fix some of the mistakes you made. If not, they may still be able to salvage your workers’ compensation claim and get you the benefits you deserve.
You Should Never Talk About Your Workers Compensation Claim with Anyone
It can be hard to keep the details of your workers’ compensation claim to yourself. You’ll feel compelled to tell people what happened. The problem is that, once you make a statement about your workplace accident to your employer, you’ll be locked in.
The minutes after your workplace accident is not when you should make any official statements. While you should tell your manager or supervisor that you’ve been hurt immediately, you should avoid discussing exactly how the accident happened until you talk to your Miami workers comp lawyer.
Even if it’s only a day or two, you should wait to make an official report. Whatever you say to your employer could be used against you. Even something that seems innocuous can hurt your workers’ compensation claim.
The same goes for talking about your accident with friends or coworkers. You never really know who is on your side. The last thing you want to see happen is someone you thought you could trust telling your employer what you said.
It’s Crucial That You Not Discuss Your Workers Compensation Claim on Social Media
One thing we always warn our clients about is discussing their workers compensation claims on social media. People think that they can control who sees their content by changing the settings on their profile. This isn’t necessarily the case. One of your Facebook friends, for example, may share the content on their page. This means that all of their virtual friends can see your post as well.
Our Miami workers comp lawyers always tell their clients to avoid posting about a workers’ compensation claim online. This includes all social media platforms. For example, don’t make a funny TikTok video about your workplace accident.
You also don’t want to share any memes about someone being clumsy. You have no idea what your employer and the insurance company may try to use against you. If it helps them deny your claim, they’ll take advantage of it.
Never Refuse Medical Treatment
Even if your workplace injury seems minor, that doesn’t mean you can refuse medical treatment. Regardless of the nature or severity of your injuries, you need to see the workers comp doctor immediately. This is the only way to document your injuries. It’s also a critical requirement if you want your workers’ compensation claim to be approved.
Your Miami workers comp lawyer will have a very hard time proving your injuries if you don’t see the doctor right away. It’s also important that you do not see your primary physician. Once you do this, there’s a good chance your claim will be denied.
Do Not Sign Anything Without First Showing It to Your Miami Workers Comp Lawyer
After your workplace accident, your employer may pressure you to sign paperwork regarding your workers compensation claim. Our Miami workers comp lawyers always warn their clients not to sign anything without first showing it to their attorney.
This may frustrate your employer, but that isn’t your primary concern. You need to protect yourself. You may end up signing a form that says your injuries were not work-related. If you aren’t a trained Miami workers comp lawyer, you may not realize exactly what you’re signing.
Remember – Your Miami Workers Comp Lawyer Cannot Unring the Bell
By the time you meet with your Miami workers comp lawyer, you may have already made one or more of these mistakes. This can make it very difficult for your attorney to negotiate payment of your claim. They cannot “unring” the bell. This just means that once you commit one of the mistakes discussed here, your Miami workers comp lawyer cannot undo them.
For example, if you discuss your workers compensation claim on social media, you can delete it – but that won’t make it disappear. By the time you take the content down, there’s a good chance your employer already took a screenshot of the post.
The good news is that, even if you messed things up a bit, your attorney can still work with the insurance company to get your benefits approved. It all depends on how strong your workers’ compensation claim was in the first place.
We recommend that anyone who suffers a workplace injury should contact our office as soon as possible. The longer you wait to talk to a Miami workers comp lawyer, the harder it will be for your lawyer to undo the damage.
We offer all new clients an initial consultation free of charge. There’s no reason to try to handle things all on your own. Your employer will have a team of lawyers working for them. You don’t want to deal with them without having somebody in your corner.
