Report Work Injuries Immediately

Hello and welcome to Legal Tip Tuesday from QuatriniRafferty. This is Vince Quatrini with you today.

I want to talk about Workers’ Compensation, which has been my life throughout my career. I want to sort of share the big points that you need to know and utilize if you’re injured at work. Most importantly, if you’re hurt report it. It’s like “Location, Location, Location.” Report, Report, Report. Yes, you think it’s minor, but what if it isn’t? And you’ve now gone the weekend without telling anybody. Nobody’s going to believe it happened at work.

Number one: Report it. Number two: Immediately treat for the problem. Go to MedExpress, get it on record, make sure you explain how the accident happened. Many times medical notes are sparse or incomplete. Make sure it’s recorded. And then go to your PCP. MedExpress is a one only to get it recorded. Go to a physician that you have a relationship with who will pay more attention because they’re not distracted then a general medical office.

So, get to your PCP and then have your PCP contact you with a specialist that is your specialist, not a company physician (Yes, there’s a 90-day rule), you don’t have to go through their doctors. You pick the doctors you think you need to treat you.

Third, fourth: Contact an attorney. We’ll hold your hand. We’re not looking to start charging you a fee, but you need guidance, you need direction, you need somebody that is your advocate. We’ll hold your hand and help you through. The insurance carrier, you must know, is protecting its pocketbook. And that’s understandable, but you need an advocate for you not them; that’s us.

Maintain employment contact. Stay in touch with your employer. Let them know what’s going on. We don’t want to see them start to get questions in their mind about whether you’ve been injured, and the extent to which you’ve been injured. These are all things that we want you to remember and act on if unfortunately, you’re hurt in the workplace. We’re here 24/7. We have free consultations with clients, and we want to be here for you.

This is Legal Tip Tuesday with Vince Quatrini. Remember, at QuatriniRafferty, it’s always “Clients First.” Have a nice day!