Seeking Immediate Medical Attention
Suffering a work injury can be frightening, painful, and worrisome. Injured employees often have many questions about what to do next.
Without a doubt, the first thing one should do following a work injury is to seek help from a medical professional. You may need the assistance of co-workers to make this happen.
While no one wants to disrupt the workday by stopping work and requiring medical attention, it is much better physically and legally to seek care immediately. You can always fill out an accident report and inform your superiors about what happened later.
First Thing’s First: Get Medical Attention
Documenting Your Work Injury
Once you have sought proper medical care and are stable enough to do so, create and gather evidence of what occurred. This includes, but is not limited to:
- a FROI (“first report of injury”) form from the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC)
- Your employer’s specific accident/incident report
- Photographs
- Witness statements
- Video footage, etc.
Completing Accident Reports Accurately
Be sure accident reports are filled out correctly, truthfully, and fully. Try not to leave out important details.
For example, if you believe you’ve significantly injured your low back (lumbar) and only slightly injured your neck (cervical), be sure to include both regions. Don’t assume your neck is not worth mentioning. Many of our clients feel pain only slightly in one body part immediately following a work injury, but later that pain continues to persist and even worsen.
Consulting a Workers' Compensation Attorney
Every case we handle here at McKenzie & Snyder LLP is unique, and every injured worker has different worries, cares, and concerns. Consulting with an experienced workers' comp lawyer can help you determine the best course of action in your particular case.
