What Should You Do If You’re Injured on a Construction Site in Missouri?

If you’ve been injured while on a construction site here in Parkville, MO or the surrounding areas, talk to a construction accident lawyer as quickly as you can about the best way to protect your rights and take the next steps to ensure you get the compensation you’re entitled to.

What Should You Do If You’re Injured on a Construction Site in Parkville, MO?

Get Medical Help Right Away

If it’s an emergency, get medical help immediately. Don’t let any “tough guy” culture keep you from getting the help you need. Not only might a more minor injury become serious, but you could end up with long-term health implications and also miss out on important benefits. Notify your supervisor if that’s possible, and they should provide you with medical assistance and help you in reporting it. But whether you’re able to do that or not in the moment, call 911 and get the help you need.

Be sure to also follow the treatment plan that your doctor lays out, and do so to the letter. If your doctor says you’re not to engage in certain activities or use certain types of equipment, follow the doctor’s orders. That’s because the second important reason for getting a medical evaluation is to make it very clear that your injuries were caused by the accident. If you delay too long, that may call the connection into question. And if you don’t follow doctor’s orders, an insurance company may claim that you are contributing to your condition and deny benefits.

Report the Injury

Give a detailed and accurate account of what happened, what the site conditions were like, what events led up to the accident, and any witnesses who were present and can verify what happened to your employer within 30 days. Your employer should then report your injury to workers’ compensation, and if you haven’t gotten medical care already, that’s something your employer should arrange. Your employer has the right to choose your doctor: you can see your own doctor or get a second opinion, but know that you’ll pay for that out of pocket.

Your employer should also report your injury to OSHA within 30 days (and within 24 hours if you were hospitalized as an in-patient or lost an eye or limb), as construction sites are non-exempt working environments. OSHA provides another layer of protection for you, and your lawyer can help you access that if you need.

Talk to a Construction Accident Lawyer

A skilled lawyer will know how to jump through all the legal hoops to get you what you’re owed, and your lawyer will also be able to help you appeal a denial of benefits, prove what happened, and even investigate if your employer is denying that the accident happened or otherwise trying to cover up facts. Your lawyer can also follow up with your employer to make sure they’ve done all the required reporting.

If you’ve been in an accident, call Spooner & Perkins Attorneys at Law for help in Parkville, MO. 

Tags: personal injury, worker compensation lawyers, Workers' comp
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