Work Injuries sometimes happen without warning. In our work as workers’ compensation lawyers, we frequently meet people who do not understand how workers’ compensation laws work. This includes employers and employees. One area that often confuses most people is documenting injuries. Not everyone understands why they need to document their injuries, while some do not know how to do that.

Some others do not report or document their injuries because they are embarrassed, especially if the injury was their fault. Fortunately, even if your injury was your fault, you will be covered by workers’ compensation laws. However, how you document your injuries is essential as well.

You should include every injury or pain you feel, no matter how minor it seems. However, those seemingly minor issues could often be symptoms of a more significant problem, and including them in subsequent reports could be interpreted as fraud. This article provides an answer on why you need to document work injuries.

Why Do You Need to Document Your Injuries?

Before we get to why you need to document your injuries, it is essential to understand that your account of an injury could be affected by factors you have no control over. For example, if your injury requires that you see a physician immediately, your account will most likely be taken down by the medical staff.

However, if it does not require immediate medical attention, you will have to fill out an injury report provided by your employer. When filling out your report or giving an account of your injury to the medical personnel, ensure that you do not leave any detail out. With that settled, let’s see why you need to document your injuries.

The first reason you need to document your work injuries is to allow your employer to prevent future occurrences. Preventing an injury is always a better option than having to treat it. When you document your injuries, your employer will understand what caused the accident. If it is something they can work on to ensure that no other person gets injured, your report can help them with it.

Documenting your work injuries also helps if you ever have to hire a lawyer. Assuming your employer disputes your injury claim, having a record of how you got injured could be an asset to any lawyer.

When you document your injury, it also proves that you are not attempting to defraud your employer. Unfortunately, workers’ compensation fraud is quite common, and insurance companies are now more careful when receiving workers’ compensation claims.

Documenting your injury also ensures that you are adequately compensated. Your medical costs will be included when you file a workers’ compensation claim. However, if you did not correctly report your injuries, you will not be adequately compensated.

What to Do After an Injury at Work

We believe that you now understand the need to document your work injuries as soon as they occur. Therefore, we’ll examine what you need to do after a work injury.

Your priority after any work injury should always be your health. Have yourself checked by a competent medical practitioner as soon as you can. If your injury is severe, then you must see a doctor first. That way, you will ensure that your injury does not worsen.

As soon as a medical practitioner has cleared you, the next thing you should do is report your injury to your employer. Remember that you don’t have all the time in the world, so ensure you report your injury in time. After you have reported your injury, it is your employer’s responsibility to call the attention of their insurance provider, who will begin the process of getting your compensation.

Ideally, your compensation should be processed without any hitches. However, your employer or the insurance provider may dispute your injury. Consequently, you will need to hire an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer. Insurance companies will try to devalue your claim or get it off entirely, and only a trained professional can help you. Therefore, hiring a competent workers’ compensation lawyer is vital for your chances of receiving adequate compensation.

Talk to Miami’s Best Workers’ Compensation Lawyers

If you have been injured at work, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation. However, if your employer denies your workers’ compensation claim, you need to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer. Our workers’ compensation lawyers will examine your case to develop an adequate strategy.

We’ll also be able to discover evidence that can strengthen your case. We ensure that we treat all our clients right because we understand that their cases mean a lot. So contact Miami Lawyers 360 today to set up a consultation session with one of our lawyers.