It’s no secret that some jobs involve regular heavy lifting as a main job requirement. However, even if you are in good physical shape and are careful about how you lift, there’s always the potential of an injury. If you do find yourself getting injured due to a lifting injury, you may need to hire a workers compensation lawyer to assist you with your case.
Report the Injury Immediately
First of all, one common mistake that people make when they get injured on the job is not reporting the injury. This can be particularly common with lifting injuries; unlike a burn, cut or other similar injury that might be immediately visible, lifting injuries can be a bit tricky. It can be easy to just explain the pain away as being “sore” or to assume that the pain will go away with a little bit of rest. It can also be easy to try to cover up the pain with over-the-counter or prescription pain medication so that you can continue working.
However, a lifting injury is not something that you should take lightly, and it’s not something that you should ignore, either. Reporting the injury as soon as you feel pain from lifting something at work is critical if you want your workers compensation case to start off on the right foot.
Seek Medical Attention Right Away
Along with reporting the injury to your employer, it is critical to seek medical attention for your lifting injury as soon as possible. First of all, you need to find out what is wrong so that you don’t injure yourself further. Secondly, you will need documentation to prove your injury, and seeking medical attention as soon as possible is the best way to do it. Your doctor may advise you not to return to work for a set amount of time or might restrict you from returning to work at all until further notice. He or she may also talk to you about your treatment options, such as prescription pain medication or surgery. Make sure that you follow your physician’s advice to help prevent the injury from getting worse and to start the healing process.
Do Not Return to Work Too Soon
Even if you have a “good day” and feel as if you could return to work, even if your boss asks or even threatens you in regards to returning to work as soon as possible, even if your boss tells you that you can return on “light duty” and avoid heavy lifting until you are feeling better or even if you really need the money, you absolutely should not return to work until your doctor clears you to do so. Going back to work too soon can be detrimental and can make your injury much worse. Additionally, it could cause problems for your workers compensation claim.
Document Everything
Throughout the process of dealing with your injury, make sure that you document everything. Write down everything that you remember about the day that you were injured, including what you were lifting, whether or not equipment was provided to assist with lifting and more. Also, keep note of conversations that you have with your employer about the injury or that you might have with the workers compensation insurance company, and save all of your doctor’s notes and medical bills. All of these documents will help with your case later on down the line.
Work with a Workers Compensation Lawyer
Handling a workers compensation case can be tricky, so you’re going to want to seek legal counsel. Luckily, if you contact us at Meshbesher Law Firm, we can talk to you a little more about your case and can help you get started in the right direction. We would love to meet with you, so call us to set up an appointment for your consultation today.
