Have you been in a workplace accident and injured yourself? And you have no idea what to do? We will guide you on what to do as soon as the accident happens and how to find a good lawyer that will work in your favor.
Workplace accidents happen and they are terrible. Thankfully, you are protected by the law and you will be compensated for your injuries. But you have to be smart know what to do and how to handle the situation. However, you will not be compensated if you were either under the influence of alcohol or drugs when the injury happened. Which is never a good idea.
What to Do After the Accident Happens?
Follow this guide right after the accident and you will be safe.
File a Report:
Most states have a short period of time in which you can report your accident. It doesn’t matter if you are injured or not you must report the accidents. This often improves protection and security in the workplace because your employer doesn’t want more serious accidents.
See a Doctor:
Right after you are injured go to a doctor. Now it is possible that your employer will recommend the doctor if he or she doesn’t you can go to any doctor you want. By any chance you are unsatisfied with the doctor recommended by your employer, you should see another doctor.
If you are seriously injured you will directly go to the emergency room. Moreover, you are entitled to have a second opinion. If you are injured, seeing a doctor will tell you about the seriousness of your injuries which will later help you in building your case.
A Worker Compensation Claim:
You should file a workers’ compensation claim, this is important because it will tell your insurance company about your injuries and your workers’ insurance company will also be alerted. Don’t be afraid to file the claim because you are protected by the law here and your employer cannot fire you or do anything to you for that.
There are chances that you will get compensated even if it was your fault because compensation claim most of the times also ensure that you don’t sue your employer in exchange for compensation.
Contact a Lawyer As Soon As Possible:
This is really important because you should not wait to contact a workplace accident attorney. Especially if you were severely injured, you must call an attorney right after you are in the state to do so. Moreover, if you delay this will delay your chances of getting compensation.
It is really important that you know someone who is familiar with the laws. Call a work-relatedaccident attorney in Duluth GA. Because laws in each state are different and only a lawyer is familiar with them.
Do you Need a Lawyer?
Depends on your injuries if you had to go to the emergency room and get the surgery done. Get a lawyer. If you cannot work in that field anymore due to the injury get an attorney. If your doctor thinks your body will never be the same again hire an attorney. If you can never work in any field anymore and you’re disabled. Get an attorney.
If you are filing for workers compensation and you don’t understand the process get an attorney. If you are not injured, there is no need for an attorney.
How to Hire a Good Attorney?
This is a very important question unless you have been in a workplace accident before and know a really good lawyer. For those who don’t know a good lawyer, it is really important to hire a well-experienced lawyer. We will guide you on how to hire a good lawyer for your workplace accident.
Ask your Family and Friends:
There are chances that someone you know may have gotten in an injury at their workplace. If they were injured, there is a chance that they hired a lawyer ask them. Even if your coworker was in an injury ask him or her about their lawyer.
This way you will get honest opinions about those lawyers, they will tell you if that attorney is actually good or not. If they can vouch for their attorney to set up a meeting with them.
Go Online:
In this day and age going online is a good option. Go search on different workplace accident attorney website and see if there is a review section and see what people are saying about that firm or that lawyer. If the reviews are good and look authentic, you should set up a meeting.
You can check your state bar’s website and see if there is anything against that attorney this will give a general idea how good they are.
References:
If you have a friend who is an attorney or a friend who knows an attorney, they can recommend you some great workplace accident attorneys and this will save you the online search and you can start meeting them one by one. Even if one workplace attorney can’t take you he or she will refer you to someone else. References are a great way to look for an attorney.
What to Ask in the Interview?
You must ask all the right question. Ask the questions below
- How long they have been practicing? Whether they have enough experience or not is important. The more experienced the better
- Their track record with trials? Even if the case doesn’t go to trail you should still know if they can win the trail or not.
- Their success rates? How many cases, they have won and how much they have lost. If they have lost too many cases. Look for another attorney.
- Can you give time to my case? If they already have too many cases piled up, there are chances your case will not get that much attention.
Workplace injuries can be scary and it is important to know where you stand and for that, you need to know about your rights.
