Pennsylvania Work Injury Attorneys
What To Do If You Are Injured At Work
If you're seriously injured at work in Philadelphia, getting help is probably the first thing on your mind. If your injury is not catastrophic, you should start by notifying your supervisor (or a person designated to handle workplace injuries) as soon as possible. Save anything that documents your injury, like broken equipment or a substance you think made you sick, as well as names of witnesses. It's important to do this right away, to ensure that your claim is taken seriously. If you wait too long, you might come under suspicion from fraud-weary employers and insurers, or even lose your right to make a claim. Your employer and its insurance company should accept or deny your claim for benefits within 21 days of the date you were injured.
You should see a doctor as soon as possible to get a diagnosis and begin treatment. If your employer has posted a list of designated doctors, posted prominently at your place of employment and has had you sign written acknowledgement of the same, you may have to be treated by one of them; otherwise, you can choose your own. If you go to one of the employer-designated doctors, be careful. This doctor has a financial interest in doing what your employer wants, which is to save money, and that means denying or downplaying your claim. If the first doctor says you need surgery, you should exercise your right to a second opinion, using a doctor who specializes in the type of injury you have. Always request and save the records from any of these doctors.
If you begin to feel that your employer is hostile to your claim or is not taking it seriously at any point during this process, you should contact a Pennsylvania workers' compensation law firm. Employers and their insurance companies don't like to pay expensive claims, so they may try all kinds of tricks to avoid paying your claim, even if your injuries are clear. They may pressure you to drop a claim, illegally fire you for making a claim, send you to a doctor who misdiagnoses you or even claim you are lying about your injury. These dishonest tricks deny you the benefits you're legally entitled to, and you don't have to put up with it.
The PA workers compensation law firm of Cherry Fieger & Marciano can help. Based in Philadelphia, we represent injured workers in eastern Pennsylvania who are fighting for the workers' compensation benefits they're entitled to. We can negotiate on your behalf with your employer, its insurance company, the Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers Compensation or other parties who are at fault for your injuries. If it's necessary, we are also fully prepared to stand up for your rights in a court of law. We specialize in helping injured people, so you can count on us to take away the burden of dealing with complex legal rules and bureaucracies, and to keep you well informed about your case.
Cherry Fieger & Marciano offers free evaluations of all potential clients' cases, so there's no risk in speaking to us about your situation. To set up a consultation and speak to one of our Pennsylvania work injury attorneys, please call us at (888) 684-7192, or click here to fill out our confidential case evaluation form.