San Fernando Valley Workers Compensation Attorney

An accident can happen at any time while in the workplace. No job is immune from sustaining injuries. Should this ever occur to you, it is natural to feel frustrated. After an accident in the workplace, your personal and professional life is altered instantly. Feeling overwhelmed is understandable.

Our duty at the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach is to ensure you don’t go through this alone. Our attorneys work endlessly to protect your rights while simultaneously fighting for the financial benefits you deserve. Don’t delay contacting us if you sustained an injury in the workplace. We will begin the legal process for you.

Injuries Covered Under Workers’ Compensation

California’s workers’ compensation laws cover all types of injuries sustained in the workplace. Even ones you might not have thought to be covered. The following injuries are covered in California:

• Aggravation of pre-existing conditions causes an increased impairment or need for medical care.
• Exposure to COVID-19.
• Injuries caused by repetitive work- such as carpal tunnel or shoulder, elbow, knee, hip, and spine injuries that developed over time.
• Heart attacks while working or as a result of stress.
• Psychological injuries caused by an abnormal environment, co-workers or customers who yell, excessive overtime, violations of the Fair Employment and Housing Act, discrimination, and wage and hour violations.
• Sleep impairments.
• Sexual dysfunction.
• Urologic dysfunction.
• Illness from exposure to chemicals and mold.
• Occupational diseases.
• Concussion and traumatic brain injuries.
• Hearing loss or tinnitus from loud machinery or work environment, especially if there was inadequate ear protection.
• Scars to the face and neck.
• Eye injuries.
• Amputations.
• Injuries incurred while traveling if your job requires that you work at multiple locations or if you were injured while performing a special errand for your employer.
• Hernias.

This list is not exhaustive; the items mentioned above are limited when compared to the expansive types of workers’ compensation injuries that have occurred. If you aren’t sure whether or not we cover your injury, call us, and we will discuss it with you.

What To Do If Hurt On The Job?

If you have severe pain, no matter what, you should always notify your supervisor immediately after you are injured. If your pain is mild or your symptoms are mild — regardless of whether or not you think you will be okay in a few days and won’t need to miss work – you should tell your boss. Suppose your symptoms do not go away after a day. In that case, that is a sign that your injury is serious, and you should request a workers’ compensation claim form from your employer and request to see a workers’ compensation doctor for your injury. It would help if you were also asked to complete an incident report immediately. It is tempting to wait a few days to see how you may feel, but this is not the best course of action. If you are ever injured in the workplace, especially if your symptoms are severe, you need to act quickly due to the following:

• Just because you feel fine doesn’t mean that you are not injured. There have been many instances where injured workers continued working through an injury only to have small muscle or tendon tears, or spinal injuries, become extensive or complete tears, or serious spine injuries with nerve involvement—working through an injury without medical attention to guide you through the recovery and rehabilitation process is a common reason for what could have been minor injuries to become more significant more costly injuries. Employers and Insurance carriers would often be better served if they fast-tracked medical treatment, especially in the early stages of an injury – to prevent a serious worsening of the injured workers’ medical condition. Some nerve and tear injuries may progressively worsen over time.
• Waiting a long period of time before reporting the injury to the insurance company will leave room for doubt as to whether or not you were injured at work.
• Most employers have workers’ compensation insurance carriers who have a list of approved doctors that you must use for your workers’ compensation claim –unless you predesignated a doctor or the court finds that the employer’s list of doctors was improperly constructed or for some other reason is no longer valid due to deficiencies in making availably a variety of doctors for common types of injuries. When your workers’ compensation claim is in its initial delay period or when your claim is accepted, medical visits are covered at no cost to you. Waiting too long to file a claim can result in longer delays in getting workers’ compensation to cover your medical treatment. If your claim is denied, you may be able to use other insurance, or your workers’ compensation attorney may help you find workers’ compensation doctors who can assist you.
• As stated above, it is not uncommon for hard workers to work through injuries – some of our clients have been working difficult jobs even though they had near-complete shoulder tears or extremely large spinal disc herniations. Some people are gifted with a very high pain tolerance, but unfortunately, that can lead to a problem as their hard work can result in a more serious injury. Preventative care and medically guided rehabilitation will lead to fewer problems in the long run. We encourage all workers not to work through serious or chronic pain without medical clearance: seeing a doctor and getting their help and advice can prevent long absences from work and severe pain and extend your work life. Whenever you feel that you have sustained an injury, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible to get their expert opinion on the nature and extent of your injury. We understand that most people do not want to cause trouble or expense for their employer — or do not want to risk missing work — but preventative care and early reporting of an injury can save the employer by increasing the potential for healing and decreasing the potential for more prolonged recovery and a more disabling injury. Most employers will be able to accommodate you in seeing a workers’ compensation doctor, and the sooner you see a doctor, the sooner you can return to work at your best possible ability.

Injured On The Job? Call The Law Offices Of Kropach & Kropach Today

If you have been injured at work, workers’ compensation attorneys will fight for the payment of wage loss, medical benefits, and more. You should contact the Law Offices of Kropach & Kropach today by calling 818-609-7005 for a consultation.