Being in an accident at work can be a traumatic and stressful experience. There are lost wages and benefits, medical bills piling up, and the pain and suffering of the injury itself.
With so much happening it can be overwhelming trying to figure out what to do next. Contacting a Pflugerville work accident attorney as soon as you can will help put your mind at ease. Letting an experienced professional handle the legal aspects of your workplace injury is the smartest decision you can make regarding the future of your claim.
Pastrana & Garcia Injury Law have been helping Pflugerville and surrounding counties of Williamson, Travis, Bastrop, and Hays receive the settlements they deserve for almost 30 years. They can walk you through the steps you should take after a workplace accident has occurred.
Steps to Take After a Workplace Accident
- Seek medical care. Above everything else, take care of yourself first. Paperwork can wait. It doesn’t matter if your employer insists that you make a statement or sign forms, you need to make sure you have been seen by a medical professional. Also, you shouldn’t make a statement or sign anything without a lawyer reviewing it first.
- Retain legal counsel. As soon as you are able to, make sure you speak to an attorney. Often, your employer’s lawyer and lawyers for the insurance company will attempt to pressure people to make a statement after an accident. These attorneys are trying to get you to say something that will absolve their client of any responsibility. Don’t say or sign anything without an attorney.
- Report the injury to your employer. Of course, this depends on the severity of the injury. Your top priority should be your health and safety. When you are able to, notify your employer about what happened.
- Fill out a workplace injury report. Again, after you have been taken care of, fill out a workplace injury report. You might want to consider consulting an attorney prior to filling out the report. Sometimes the way things are worded can end up damaging your case, even if it was unintentional.
- Gather evidence. Gather as much evidence as you can. Most evidence collection will fall on your attorney. They will know how to obtain eye-witness statements and gain access to video surveillance footage. This is a big part of what lawyers do. They know what to look for and who to talk to.
- File a claim. When your lawyer has reviewed the facts of your case and determined that you are owed damages, file a claim. You should leave the details to your lawyer. They know who to speak to and how to negotiate with them to get you the best settlement possible.
- Track your expenses and injuries progression. Throughout this ordeal you have probably racked up medical bills, lost wages, and, if your injuries were bad enough, incurred additional expenses like transportation costs. Also, document your recovery by taking pictures of your injuries as your condition progresses.
Ongoing treatment should also be factored in. If you have sustained a permanent injury, you might have treatments for decades. You need to be compensated for these expenses.
Common Causes of Workplace Accidents
- Being caught in heavy machinery accounts for around $2.1 billion in workers’ comp claims every year. Machinery-Related accidents can result in losing limbs or, in some extreme cases, death.
- Commercial vehicle accidents. Commercial vehicle accidents can involve a company driver, pedestrians, and other drivers. Injuries can range from minor scrapes to driver fatalities. Things can get even more complicated if the negligent motorist was uninsured.
- Pushing yourself too far can have terrible consequences. Lifting, pulling, or pushing too hard can injure muscles, tendons, and bones. It is the responsibility of the employer to provide equipment for moving heavy objects.
- Falling objects. In construction, being hit by a falling object is one of the leading causes of death in the industry. The injuries suffered from falling objects are often much worse than other types of workplace injuries.
- Taking a fall off of a roof or ladder can result in paralysis or death. Workplace falls tend to be very serious.
There are many different ways that injuries can occur while at work. These are only a few examples of things that can happen. It’s very important to contact an experienced attorney the second you are able to.
Should I Hire an Attorney After an Accident in Pflugerville, Texas?
Absolutely. You should hire an attorney as soon as possible. It’s important that you don’t make any official statement or sign any paperwork until you have spoken with an experienced work accident attorney.
Work accident attorneys know how to talk to and negotiate with insurance company representatives. It’s better to let an attorney handle all of the legal aspects of your work injury case. People have been known to make a statement to insurance company lawyers that end up hurting their case further down the road.
Pastrana & García Injury Law
Were you hurt at work? Pastrana & García Injury Law specializes in work accident cases like yours. We have won countless settlements for workers injured in Pflugerville, Texas.
We work on what is called a “contingency fee.” This means that you don’t pay anything unless a favorable settlement is reached in your case.
We know how stressful work injuries can be. If you are ready to take the next step toward being compensated for your work accident injury, contact us for your free consultation.
