Every job has a risk of injury. Even more white-collar jobs like those who sit and type all day or those who work more one on one with clients. Getting injured on the job doesn’t mean that you are not eligible for getting workers compensation just because the risk was there already. Imagine if construction workers who are pouring cement on major freeways were told that whatever injury you sustain will not be covered because you knew the risks before you started the job. Guaranteed there would be no construction workers because how insane is that?
What if you were working in an office and tripped over a rug on the floor? The simple injury didn’t just break your ankle but caused you to have major nerve-ending damage. This is what happened to Frances Stevens who was training to be an all-time Golden Glove boxer. She tripped over a rug and damaged her ankle permanently. Within an instant, her ability to be an athlete was over as well as her ability to work full time. She was diagnosed with chronic or complex regional pain syndrome. She is in so much pain that she asked her doctors to amputate her feet. For the rest of her life, she will remain in excruciating pain. She knows that her life financial situation relies on workers compensation for long-term disability.
Injuries are common and your workplace expects it which is why you have workers compensation insurance. California requires every business to purchase workers compensation insurance. Even if you are an independent contract worker you are still covered by your employer. If you find yourself injured on the job then you must notify your employer immediately. Sometimes injuries can take a while to kick in. For example, if you experienced a slip and fall at work you may not experience back pain until a few days afterward. You are still able to go to the doctor but only if you tell your employer as soon as the slip and fall happened.
The purpose of notifying your employer is to make sure that they start a workers compensation claim with your name on it. Again, it doesn’t matter if your job comes with the risk of injury. You are still entitled to using workers compensation insurance. For example, in Los Angeles, two firefighters were hospitalized after a vacant warehouse caught fire. The firefighters are in stable condition, but they were injured from the flames and smoke. Despite using the protective gear they were still injured and they are still entitled to workers compensation.
Once you have told your employer, you must tell your doctor that you have been injured on the job too. Last, call 818-609-7005 or click here for our on-the-job injury lawyer at Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach in Los Angeles. We are here to ensure that your injuries get the attention and compensation they deserve. Don’t hesitate. We are here for you.
