Getting hurt in an accident at work can be both physically painful and emotionally traumatizing, especially if your injury is bad enough that it is likely to keep you out of work for weeks or months to come. Fortunately, a lot of the financial hardship that an injury like this may cause can be remedied through workers’ compensation benefits. Workers’ comp covers things like medical expenses, a substantial portion of your lost wages, and even long-term concerns like job retraining services.
Before you can get these kinds of benefits, though, there are several steps you will need to take to give yourself valid grounds to file a workers’ comp claim. Here is a brief overview of what to do after a workplace accident in Summerlin if you want to pursue workers’ compensation benefits, each part of which our experienced workers’ comp attorneys could guide you through if needed.
Notify Your Supervisor Immediately After Your Accident
Unless you have suffered a serious injury that needs emergency medical treatment, your top priority after being in any kind of workplace accident in Summerlin should be reporting the accident to your immediate supervisor. Under state law, you must do this in writing by filling out Form C-1, Notice of Injury or Occupational Disease, and submitting it to your employer within seven days of first suffering—or in some cases, first discovering that you have suffered—your injury.
Even if you feel fine right after your workplace accident, it is still important to take this initial step and make sure your employer is informed about the accident and any trauma you sustained from it. Suppose your injury unexpectedly worsens after a few days, and you did not report it in the initial seven-day window. In that case, you may be unable to seek workers’ comp benefits, even if you would otherwise qualify to receive those benefits.
Seek Medical Care from an Employer-Authorized Provider
It is important to get professional medical attention after virtually every workplace accident in Summerlin, Rhodes Ranch, Sovana, or Sun City, regardless of how you feel immediately after the accident. Notably, your employer should provide you with a list of approved healthcare providers when you report your work-related accident, and—with limited exceptions for scenarios involving life-threatening injuries—you will need to seek care from one of these providers if you want your injury to be covered by workers’ comp.
Complete and Submit Your “Form C-4”
Once you report an on-the-job injury, your employer should also give you a copy of Form C-4, Employee’s Claim for Compensation/Report of Initial Treatment. You will need to fill out this form and submit it by mail to your employer’s workers’ comp insurance provider no later than 90 days after your initial accident and no later than three days after initially receiving professional medical treatment. Once they receive this form, the insurance company should inform you whether they have decided to approve your claim within 30 days.
Get Help from a Summerlin Attorney With Your Workplace Accident Claim
It is worth emphasizing that this is a very broad and generalized summary of the important things you will need to do after a workplace accident in Summerlin if you want to file a workers’ comp claim over that accident later. Every workers’ comp claim is unique, just like every claimant is, and there is no shortage of legal and procedural roadblocks you might run into during this process, which could get in the way of you getting the benefits you need.
That, more than anything, is why one of the most important things to do after getting hurt at work is to contact one of our dedicated workers’ compensation lawyers here at Shook & Stone. Call today to schedule your free and confidential consultation.
