For basic injuries at work, it often isn't necessary to hire an attorney. In many cases, you can simply get the medical assistance that you need, take time off of work until you are feeling better and receive assistance with your medical costs and bills from workers' compensation. Unfortunately, however, this isn't always the case. In some situations, it's best to hire a workers' compensation attorney to ensure that your rights as an employee are protected. These are a few signs that it's important to hire an attorney right away.
1. Your Boss Wants You to Come Back to Work Too Soon
Your doctor has probably given you an estimated time frame of how long you should take off of work. If your boss is trying to get you back into the office more quickly than that, however, you may need to hire an attorney. Even if you are promised "light duty," going back to work can put you in danger of re-injuring yourself. It can also hurt your workers' compensation claim because it could be assumed that you aren't really injured after all.
2. You've Heard That You Might Not Have a Job Anymore
If you are injured at work, your employer is supposed to hold your job for you until you are able to return to duty. If your boss has threatened to give your job to someone else, or if you are hearing rumors from your coworkers that you might not have a position when you finish healing, a workers' compensation attorney can help.
3. Your Medical Bills are Piling Up
Workers' compensation is supposed to take care of your medical bills for you. If you keep receiving bills with no sign of payment from workers' compensation or your employer, you may need to hire a workers' compensation attorney to help you get the matter cleared up. Otherwise, you could be stuck with a huge debt for medical bills that weren't your fault.
4. You're Being Asked to Change Your Story
If your employer attempts to discredit or ask you to change your story about how the injury occurred, this could be a big red flag. In these cases, employers often try to get out of paying for injury-related costs, but your workers' compensation attorney can help.
These are just a few of the situations in which it's best to hire an attorney to help you with your case. Luckily, there are plenty of workers' compensation attorneys who are willing to help, even if you don't have the money to pay your legal fees right now. It's better to be safe than sorry and to seek legal representation; otherwise, your rights might not be respected.
Share11 February 2015
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