You did not want to get hurt. No one wants to get injured. After an injury, many people want to get better as quickly as possible and go back to work.
This is usually the best thing to do, but you may want to take some time to think about a few things first. Often, rushing back to work before you are ready could lead to more serious problems down the road.
Sometimes, people return to work too early because a “case manager” or an “insurance adjuster” is pushing them to come back to work. Many insurance adjusters are very nice people. Unfortunately, it is not the insurance company’s job to look out for your best interests. Your case costs the workers’ compensation insurance company money. Because they want to make money, they usually want to pay as little as they can on your case. Because of that, the insurance company will usually not look out for you.
Hopefully, your injury is not too serious. If so, you can likely fully recover and get back to work quickly. However, even if you think your injury is minor, you need to make sure that you understand and protect your rights to medical treatment and weekly benefits. Many times, what seems like a minor injury can become a much more serious one.
It is important to know your rights because the workers’ compensation laws in Georgia can be confusing and complicated. For example, if you wait too long, you can lose your right to get weekly benefits. Also, you need to get good medical treatment to recover from your injury. To do that, you need to know which doctors can treat you for your injury. You also want to be sure that the checks the insurance company is paying you are the correct amount. You may also have questions about whether you are entitled to a settlement (and what settlement really is).
So, what should you do if you have been injured at work? The best advice that we can give you is to talk to a good Georgia workers’ compensation attorney. We have three workers’ compensation attorneys at our firm.
Cliff Perkins, Jason Perkins and Travis Studdard all specialize in Georgia workers’ compensation cases. Together, they have over 60 years of experience handling workers’ compensation cases. You can talk to any of them for free. All discussions about your case are confidential.
Hopefully, you will fully recover from your injury. If you do, you may not need to hire an attorney. But, you should always talk to a workers’ compensation attorney before making this decision about whether you should hire one or not.
The only thing it costs you is your time. Our workers’ compensation attorneys will talk to you for free and will provide you with information that will help you decide what you should do with your case. If you would like to set up a free consultation, simply call the phone number on the right or complete the “Need Help” form on this page.
