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When Should I Hire a Workplace Injury Lawyer?
Workplace injuries are no joke. Depending on the type of work you do and the severity of the injury, you could be looking at a very serious recovery period, lost hours, and very high medical bills. But, there is also a legal path to finding money and justice for the injury. No one should be hurt on the job, but when it inevitably happens, your employer is liable for the costs and damages sustained to you, depending on a few factors.
Does my company offer worker’s compensation?
The state of Colorado requires worker’s compensation coverage to be provided by all private and public employers, whether full or part-time, with few exceptions. The laws also allow the state to levy some serious fines against lawyers that do not cover injuries of their workers sustained on the job. But you may have some questions, what do I do if my employer is breaking the law by being not insured or being underinsured? Colorado passed a law in 2017 which allows the state to cover the funds your employer is unable to provide for you.
When do I need an attorney?
But when do you get a worker’s compensation attorney? Worker’s compensation insurance requires the worker to forfeit their right to sue their employer for injuries in exchange for the employer paying the medical bills and damages of lost wages. But things are not always that simple. Your employer and/or their insurance company still has to approve the claim you file for compensation, and when it’s denied is when things can get very tricky.
If you’ve been injured on the job as a result of negligence and do not pursue worker’s comp coverage, you will need an attorney well versed in workplace and workplace injury lawyer in Denver and the suit must be brought forward within two years of the incident. The very first thing to do is report the incident to your supervisor and make sure there is a record of you reporting it. Seek medical help and treatment for any physical injuries you received and keep good records of what doctors tell you, what your treatments and costs were, and how long you’re expected to be out of work.
Should I hire an attorney?
Next, find yourself a workplace injury lawyer in Denver. After that two-year window, it’s much harder to prove damages and collect, even with a lawyer, so don’t wait on finding one. The thing to remember is that your employer likely already has an attorney, or several, who will be working on their behalf, so it’s incredibly important to arm yourself with a lawyer of your own to help you through the process and litigation. It’s strongly not advised that you represent yourself in these situations. Ideally, you’ll hire your lawyer as soon as possible after the injury or onset of work-related illness. In a good case, your employer approves the claim and your lawyer is simply a legal asset for you during the process. If they deny the claim, your lawyer will go to bat for you to get you what you deserve.
Don’t wait to get a lawyer for your workplace injury.