If you’ve been involved in a workplace accident, then don’t hesitate to contact a workplace injury attorney at once. You’re entitled to a settlement based on the damages you’ve suffered due to your accident. Hiring an attorney as soon as you can after the accident will set you up for success.
4 Reasons To Hire a Workplace Injury Attorney Right After Your Accident
1. To Act Within the Statute of Limitations’ Timeframe
The statute of limitations sets a timeframe for Workers’ Compensation Law in Texas is one of the shortest in the country. You need to file a claim within one year of becoming injured. If your injury doesn’t become evident until a later date, then you have a year from the date the injury was discovered.
Some injuries take a long time to heal from, so if you decide to wait until you’re fully healed to claim, then you could be working against the clock. Have a family member contact an attorney on your behalf if you’re not able to do so yourself. Any work injury attorney in Houston TX who’s worth working with will be fine with a family member contacting them on your behalf.
2. To Prove the Cause of Your Injuries
You’ll need to undergo a medical assessment by an unbiased third party who is not your regular physician. They’ll assess your injuries to see whether or not they were truly caused by the accident you suffered at work.
Having this assessment will make it easier for you to prove how badly you were injured during the incident at your workplace. This can stop your employer’s insurance company from trying to say that you were never injured at all or that you were injured to a lesser degree than you claim.
3. To Have Evidence Available at the Scene
Evidence doesn’t stick around at the scene of an accident for long. For example, if you were injured tripping over poorly placed pipes, then your employer may swiftly decide to have those pipes removed or replaced. You’ll want your attorney to be able to photograph the scene of the accident before any major changes are made. This applies to any situation where the setting of the accident can be cleaned up or fixed.
Getting an attorney involved within a few days, or at least a few weeks, of your accident occurring is the best choice. The scene of your accident will be less likely to have changed, so evidence that supports your case may still be present there.
4. To Be Taken More Seriously
Insurance companies rarely want to offer people settlements based on their claims. You’ll want to have your employer’s insurance company on your side as much as possible if you want to win a settlement. If you decide to make a claim six months after you’ve healed from an accident, then the insurance company may find your claim suspicious. They’ll push back harder and take you less seriously than they’d take somebody still suffering from their injuries.
4 Types of Compensation You Can Win after a Work Accident
1. Reimbursement for Medical Fees
Ensure you keep copies of your medical bills so you can be reimbursed for them. You can also be compensated for any future medical treatment you will need to receive as a result of your accident.
2. Lost Income
You’ll have to take time off work to recover from your injuries after an accident. You can add lost wages, bonuses, and other benefits to your claim when trying to win a settlement.
3. Emotional Damages
Emotional damages are considered non-economic damages, so it can be a little harder for your attorney to win you the full amount you initially claim. However, with some careful negotiations, you can win tens of thousands of dollars in emotional damages depending on the size of the company you work for.
The amount you can claim for emotional damages will vary depending on how much you’re likely to win in economic damages (medical fees and lost income).
4. Legal Fees
Texas laws are stricter than some other states, so you may not always be able to win back your attorney’s contingency fee. Your attorney can certainly argue that you should win your legal fees as part of a settlement. Your attorney will calculate what they feel their fee should be and add that to your claim. This can stop your legal fees from taking a chunk out of the settlement you win based on your damages.
Always work fast when you’re injured in the workplace. Take a few days to heal, but ensure you contact an attorney as soon as possible. The attorney you choose will help you win compensation that can lessen the blow of the damages you’ve suffered. Ensure you seek what you’re entitled to.