subject: Workers Compensation Lawyer - Signs You Need One [print this page] Under normal circumstances, with a fair employer, you won't need a workers compensation lawyer even if you get hurt while on the job. Your employer will see to it that you are covered under their insurance plan, that you receive fair payment, and that you get the medical care you deserve. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out that nicely. Sometimes it doesn't even matter how "fair" your employer is. The insurance company may simply not be willing to cover the injury in question. The injury may be serious enough to introduce greater concerns. Whatever the case, here are some of the signs that you may need to hire an attorney.
Injury Severity
One of the signs that you may need a workers compensation lawyer is that your injuries are severe enough that you will require surgery. Even before you learn what your employer's reaction is to that news, you would do well to at least take a meeting with an attorney at that point. Serious injuries introduce complications into any case of this nature, and the average layman doesn't have the experience or knowledge to navigate these complications without legal advice. In fact, any injury that is likely to leave you in worse condition after the healing process has ended may demand legal representation.
Leaving Work
If your injuries are only going to keep you out of work for a week or two, you probably don't need to bring a workers compensation lawyer into the mix. But what if your injuries are more severe? What if they may prevent you from coming back to work at all? If this is likely the case, you need to hire an attorney. Insurance companies and employers aren't in the business of providing for a former employee's well being for the rest of their life due to an injury. They will almost certainly not do so willingly. An out of court settlement or a jury trial may be the only way to get the money you need to go on.
Pre-Existing Conditions
This is where employers and insurance companies always look when it comes time to try and deny a settlement claim. Perhaps you injured your knee while operating a piece of machinery at your job. But it turns out that you had already injured that knee years ago playing football in high school. You forgot about that, right? You forgot about it because it doesn't matter in the slightest. But to the matter of a claim, it matters immensely. Get a workers compensation lawyer on your side to ensure that you aren't denied money because of an irrelevant condition.
