We learn a lot from our mistakes.
But sometimes it is better to learn from the mistakes of others.
I recently saw a person who went to trial in their Workers’ Compensation Case, and they did not have an accident report. They also did not explain to the doctor that their injury was related to a work injury.
They did have a witness who testified that they saw them get hurt.
However, they could have saved themselves much grief and probably would have easily won their case if they had taken the time to complete an accident report.
Why does it make a difference?
Judges are human.
They like it when people make it easy for them.
An accident report detailing all your injuries and how they happened is easy.
Telling your doctor how you got hurt at work is easy.
When the insurance company is faced with a timely accident report and medical records describing your accident it easy for them to authorize treatment and pay for your time off work.
It is much harder to explain to the Arbitrator 2 years later why you did not complete an accident report, or why you did not tell your doctor about your work injury.
Questions about your Workers’ Compensation case? Feel free to contact Illinois Workers’ Compensation Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371.