What to Do After a Work Accident in Kansas: A Step-by-Step Guide
Work accidents are avoidable in many instances but continue to occur for many reasons, such as negligence and recklessness. Regardless of why they occur, what to do after a work accident in Kansas remains the same in most cases, which begins with ensuring that the injured employee gets the qualified medical treatment they deserve.
Were you injured at work? If so, Palmer Law Group can help you seek the compensation you deserve. Call for a free consultation with Kansas work injury lawyers who are ready to fight for you.
Get Professional Medical Care
Timely medical treatment can not only save your life, but it will also help your work injury claim. The more time that elapses between your injury and treatment, the more your injury and compensation claim can suffer.
Use the first-aid kit at work if appropriate and identify the most effective means of getting professional medical treatment, which may include dialing 911 or being transported to an emergency room or urgent care center.
Report the Accident to Your Boss or Employer
In Kansas, you have a 20-day window to notify your employer or boss about your accident and injury. The sooner you notify your boss, the better. In some cases, this window may be shorter or may begin not on the date of the injury but on the date medical treatment was sought.
Once an employer is aware of your injury, they will review the accident and give you pertinent workers’ comp information, such as:
What benefits might be available
Contact details of the employer’s insurance
Instructions for visiting an approved doctor.
When an accident occurs on the job and a boss or supervisor is not present, injured workers should contact their boss as soon as possible about the accident. If a worker is injured while away from the main work location, they should not wait 20 days to inform their employer that they have been injured.
Ultimately, reporting a work injury in a timely manner is the most optimal way to get prompt compensation. The sooner the ball gets rolling, the sooner it reaches its destination.
Timely reporting also protects workers’ claims by establishing the existence of injuries and the occurrence of an injury early on, which prevents the employer or their insurance company from casting doubt on the claim.
Gather Evidence
Any evidence you can gather at the scene of your accident can potentially be helpful later on down the line. For example, if it turns out that you have a third-party personal injury claim in addition to a workers’ comp claim, your personal injury lawyer will need hard evidence of that third party’s fault.
Since January 1980, Kansans have put their trust in the Palmer Law Group to protect their compensation interests after a work accident. So can you.
Meet With an Experienced Work Injury Lawyer
An experienced work injury lawyer is a valuable asset when an injured worker needs maximum benefits or compensation. Work injury attorneys identify every potential form of compensation available to their clients, who are often surprised to learn what they are entitled to receive.
Typically, injured workers are starved for information after an injury. They are unsure of what to do and what compensation they might be able to get. They are in need of an advocate who will fight on their behalf. An experienced work injury lawyer gives injured workers full information on their rights and the compensation they deserve.
On the other hand, an insurance company or an employer has no duty to pursue the best interests of the injured worker. Instead, insurance companies are in the business of reducing or denying claims whenever they can. A reduced or denied claim means more profits in the end.
In some cases, insurance companies operate in bad faith to the detriment of the injured worker. For example, an insurance company that denies a work injury claim without even properly investigating or reviewing the claim may be liable for bad faith insurance.
Other examples of bad faith insurance an injured worker might encounter include:
Paying an injured worker less than the claim amount
Ghosting the claimant
Presenting an unreasonable delay
Misrepresenting what benefits are available
Requiring multiple tests for an already properly diagnosed injury.
Insurance companies that engage in these activities can cause financial and emotional damage. Fortunately, the law allows claimants to seek compensation for damages caused by bad faith insurance.
However, many injured workers simply are unaware of when their rights are being violated, which is why having an attorney for these matters is strongly recommended, especially when significant benefits and compensation are on the line.
Insurance Company Communications
At some point, you may be in direct contact with the insurance company handling your claim. They may ask for a recorded or written statement from you regarding the accident. However, you should not make any statement or provide any evidence about the accident to anyone but your attorney.
In the most optimal situation, the work injury lawyer handles the vast majority, if not all, of the communications with the insurance company. With an attorney between you and the insurance company, your claim will be protected from attempts to reduce or deny it.
Continue Following Your Doctor’s Orders
Workers’ injury benefits are contingent upon medical reports of the initial incident and ongoing treatment. Injured workers should comply with doctors’ orders throughout the course of their treatment. Deviating from a course of treatment can result in a loss of workers’ comp benefits.
Work Accident Guidance and Representation You Can Trust
Injured workers have the right to compensation . . . and often more than they realize. At Palmer Law Group, our team of work injury attorneys is ready to stand with you and fight for the benefits and compensation you are entitled to by law.
To learn how Palmer Law Group can help, reach out to our team of work injury lawyers for a free consultation and case review. You deserve answers and effective representation. Call today.