Over the years I have seen a number of people with work injuries and have reviewed their medical records.
There a certain number of people who report to their medical providers that they did not know how the injury happened.
They explain to me that the reason they did not tell the doctor or hospital that it is an injury at work was because they were afraid work would be mad or they just wanted to have their own insurance handle and avoid the hassle.
I understand what these people were saying, however when they change their mind and decide to pursue a work injury case later on it becomes very difficult for them.
The Arbitrator (a workers’ compensation judge) gives great weight to what the injured worker told the doctors and emergency room personnel at the time of the accident.
The nature of the world causes suspicion so you can understand why the information given close to the time of the accident is very important.
The best practice is to tell your supervisor, co-workers, doctors, nurses, therapists, and emergency personnel how the injury happened at work and what body parts you injured.
You do not have to file a work injury application of claim, however you must leave that option open for yourself. If you do not, then most likely you have closed the door on recovering benefits under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act.
Injuries hurt. Call Illinois Work Comp Attorney Dirk May at 309-827-4371 to discuss the best way to help your case.