You should be safe when you go to work. However, sometimes accidents happen on the jobsite that leave you injured. Even when you may have contributed to the fault for the accident and subsequent injuries, since you were hurt at work, you shouldn’t have to worry about the costs you could incur from these damages. That’s where our Salyersville workers’ compensation lawyer comes into the picture.
Filing a workers’ comp claim can get confusing—this could be your first claim like this, or you could just be unsure in general about the legal process. Thankfully, your lawyer will have that covered for you. When you hire one of our attorneys at Golden Law Office, you can rest assured that we can answer all your questions and provide you with the support you need.
Let’s take a look at some important information for workers’ compensation claims in Kentucky so that you can be fully informed about your case and understand what’s going on.
Steps to Filing a Workers’ Comp Claim in Kentucky
Immediately after you get hurt on the job in Salyersville, one of your first thoughts could be filing for workers’ comp. But if you’ve never made a claim before, or if you’re in intense pain and can’t think too clearly, you might not really know what your steps should be. Thankfully, we’ve composed a list so that you know exactly what to do in order to have a strong workers’ comp claim in Kentucky.
Here are the steps you’ll want to file to ensure you get the full treatment you need as well as build a strong workers’ compensation claim:
- Notify your employer that you were hurt on the job
- Seek medical evaluation right away so you’re getting treated and have a record of your injuries
- Request documentation of your injuries from your doctor
- Get any work slips you might need from your doctor if you aren’t cleared to go back
- Give copies of those documents and slips to your employer
- Hire a workers’ compensation lawyer
When you’ve been hurt on the job, you should notify your employer in writing within a week of the injury. While you have a week, it’s best to do this as soon as possible. The sooner you report to them that you’ve been injured on the job, the sooner they can start their reports that they need to make and ensure everything is covered. Even if your loved one initially reports the injury by a phone call from the hospital, it could be best for your situation to ensure you’re getting it in on time.
When you wait too long, you could forfeit your chances of having a workers’ comp case at all. From here, everything can get a little complicated, which is why it’s helpful to hire a Salyersville workers’ compensation attorney. We’ll help you determine what steps are necessary and how much you can recover in your claim.
Common Injuries in Workers’ Compensation Claims
In workers’ comp claims, one of the most vital parts of your case will be your injuries. It’s important that you can prove they happened at work, but it’s not necessary for you to prove that you weren’t at fault for them. That’s the thing about workers’ comp—it doesn’t depend on you not being at fault, it just depends on you proving that your injuries happened on the job.
After being treated and finding out how you were hurt, you might be wondering how your injuries compare to other workman’s comp claims. Here are some of the most common injuries that lead to workers’ compensation claims so you can get a better understanding of how your situation fits in with other claimants in similar situations:
- Bruises
- Cuts and lacerations
- Sprains, and other soft tissue injuries
- Broken bones
- Burns
- Electrocution
- Upper respiratory injuries, like smoke inhalation
- Eye and face injuries
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Injuries to extremities
- Amputation
- Paralysis
- Illness and disease from work environment or chemicals used on the job
If you’re filing for workers’ comp, you could be suffering from one or more of these mild to serious injuries. Some of these you could recover from in a few weeks, but others could affect you for the rest of your life, and even leave you unable to ever return to work. This is why it’s important to take action—that way, you can recover financially from what happened to you so that you and your family can cover the bills and try to move on.
When you hire a Salyersville workers’ comp lawyer from Golden Law Office, you can rest assured they’ll use documentation from your injuries to properly calculate what you’re owed.
Kentucky Laws Surrounding Workers’ Comp
Knowing the laws surrounding workers’ comp claims in Kentucky will also help you when you’re deciding whether or not you’re going to file a claim. One of those laws that will be crucial to your case is the statute of limitations. This is how long you have from the date of the injury to file a claim. Otherwise, as mentioned above, your claim could be thrown out entirely and you’ll be left unable to take action.
In Kentucky, you have two years from the date of the accident that caused your injury to file for workers’ comp. When you developed an illness or disease from your work, you have two years from the date you discovered you were ill, or the date when you should have known you were ill. In some cases, you could have longer, but in general, you’ll have two years.
While this can seem like a long timeline, two years can go by quickly when you’re focusing on healing from physical and emotional injuries. That’s why it’s so important to file a claim as soon as possible. The sooner you file, the less time you have to worry about the time limit and if you’re within the statute of limitations.
This can be hard to keep track of on your own. When you hire our Salyersville workers’ compensation attorney to represent you, you won’t have to worry. We’ll handle your case and determine if you’re filing within the correct time limits.
Golden Law Office Is Here for You and Your Family
Getting hurt on the job can leave you feeling vulnerable and unsure where your next paycheck is coming from. When you’re left completely unable to work, you likely will feel stressed about your bills on top of healing from your injury or illness. When you have a Salyersville workers’ comp attorney on your side, though, you won’t have to worry.
We understand that this is a difficult time in your life and that you need to focus on healing yourself and your family. That’s why we’ll handle the legal side of things and get you the compensation you deserve for your injury at work.
At Golden Law Office, you can trust that we’ll fight for you to get justice. Reach out to our firm today to get started on a claim.
Golden Law is a local, Kentucky Law Firm, attorneys/lawyers in Fayette County, Kentucky, working in the fields of personal injury, auto accidents, car and truck wrecks; medical malpractice: doctors, hospitals & nursing homes; senior living abuse: neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse, dehydration, bedsores, catastrophic injuries, and broken bones. If you are considering a lawsuit, call us at 859.469.5000 for a free consultation. We are located at 771 Corporate Dr. Suite 800/ Lexington, Kentucky 40503. We handle cases all over the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We have represented and trained people in major insurance companies & major trucking companies. We have first hand experience and know the ‘inside of the insurance business’ … that’s a distinction that no other law firm can make. We’re Your Advocate. Dale Golden, Laraclay Parker.
