Why Obtain a Workers Compensation Attorney?

You need an experienced workers compensation lawyer to guide you and help walk you through what needs to be done.

You must report your injury ‘as soon as practicable, but within 7 days after the accident’.

You can lose your rights to a workers comp claim if you don’t know all of the hoops to jump through.

How Do I Report my Workplace Injury or Occupational Disease?

Immediately Talk to Your Supervisor

The longer you wait, the more likely they will deny your workers compensation claim and try and pin it on you hurting yourself at home. You will need to have the following forms filled out and turned in (the account of how the accident occurred MUST match on each form). A workers compensation lawyer will help make sure these forms are filed:

C-4 form (Exhibit 1).
It is very important that you fill this out and state how the accident occurred the same as you tell the medical doctor.

C-4 forms are used for all of your treatment and used in court, so it is important that you read and understand everything. If you do not understand, ask before filling it out. You will sign this form. Make and KEEP A COPY of it.

C-1 form (Exhibit 2).
This is also known as the incident report. The account of how the injury occurred must match the account of how the injury occurred on the C-4 form. If the employer writes something that you do not agree with, write I disagree with what was written and sign (this is rare, but has been litigated). You will sign this form as well.

C-3 (Exhibit 3).
This form is filled out by the employer and sent to the insurance carrier. DO NOT sign this form.

Report Your Workplace Injury to Your Doctor

Get Medical Attention and Treatment

If you are not taken by ambulance, then you will likely go to the hospital or an urgent care facility. They MUST fill out the C-4 there and the medical doctor signs it. All medical records will be used in court, so be mindful of what you tell the medical doctor and what you write. Be absolutely thorough in explaining your symptoms and filling out the diagrams attached as Exhibit 4.

It cannot be expressed enough on how important the first medical examination is and the following medical examinations. Tell them everything that hurts, even if you think it is not that big of a deal.

Example: A worker trips and falls, landing with outstretched hands hitting the ground. The body parts that are affected are obvious, they hurt. However, the less obvious injuries can be overlooked because they are not as painful, for example, the neck and shoulders. If you do not complain about them, then it becomes a nightmare to get them treated and included and can cost you out of pocket money.

Report Your Injury to a Workers’ Compensation Lawyer

Get Representation Immediately

A workers’ compensation claim is not a lawsuit, it is a claim. You are not suing your employer, rather you are making a claim for medical benefits and financial compensation where applicable. Workers’ Comp is not only complicated, it is a quagmire.

Getting a workers’ compensation lawyer protects you, your family and your future. The adjuster has no personal interest in you. In fact, the insurance companies have many local attorneys that advise those adjusters on a daily basis.

Those same adjusters are the ones that you will see if you try and handle your claim on your own. You have worked to protect your future, do not let an injury take away everything that you have worked for.

Call Bighorn Law today and let an attorney help you navigate the process.