If you are injured at work the first thing you should do is report the accident and injury to your employer. If you are seriously injured, you should try and get a co-worker to file the report on your behalf. You should do this because when it comes to filing a claim for workers compensation lawyer Gold Coast you will be asked to provide proof that the injury took place on the job.
The report you write should include the date, time, where exactly the injury took place and the extent of the injury. You should make a copy of this so you can use it as evidence to prove it is a workplace injury.
How to get workers’ compensation
The first thing you will be thinking about when you cannot return to work quickly is how you are going to manage financially. To relieve yourself of this financial worry you should contact a workers’ compensation lawyer who will work tirelessly on your behalf to get the workers’ compensation you deserve.
It is not just the wages you will lose but you may also need help in the home if you are permanently or temporarily disabled by the injury. These costs can be included in your workers’ compensation claim. However, getting your workers’ compensation entitlements is never an easy process, so asking a workers’ compensation lawyer to help you means you will not have to worry about all that legal jargon that so often accompanies workers’ compensation claims.
Leave it to your lawyer because s/he understands your rights to workers’ compensation better than you do. You can then get on with recovery from your injuries knowing that your claim is in safe hands.
The process for filing for workers’ compensation
You may think you have an open and shut case as you know the injury took place at work, but this doesn’t mean you do not need a workers’ compensation lawyer. When compensation is awarded, not every case is the same. The value of the compensation you may receive can depend on the following:
- whether you’re employed failed in its responsibilities and it was this that either caused or contributed to your injury;
- the severity of your injury;
- the treatment and recovery time and when you are likely to return to work.
To be certain you will receive all the compensation you are entitled to, a workers’ compensation lawyer can guide you through the claims process. You may expect to receive all or any of the following in your workers’ compensation payments.
- wages while you are off work;
- rehabilitation costs;
- permanent impairment costs, if applicable;
- medical treatment costs;
- loss of any future earnings if your injury is so serious that you will not return to work.
If you are unsure what your claim is potentially worth, visit our Compensation Calculator to be provided with an estimate.
Do I really need a worker’s compensation lawyer?
The initial stage of a workers compensation claim is called the statutory phase and in most cases WorkCover will encourage you to manage this yourself. While in most cases this is satisfactory, we recommend clients to contact one of our specialist workers compensation lawyers regardless to ensure their rights are being properly protected.
If you are managing your own statutory claim, there typically comes a time when WorkCover will cease your claim, whether that is weekly benefits, treatment or both. If you believe this is about to happen or has already happened, we recommend you contact one of our lawyers immediately to assess and review your claim. You may be entitled to fight that decision or to bring a Common Law claim – both of which having an experienced lawyer on your side is necessary.
Main Lawyers have a first consultation free and then do not charge you any upfront fees, as workers compensation claims come with a No Win No Fee arrangement. This means you only pay legal fees if a worker’s compensation settlement has been won. Our specialist workers compensation lawyers handle the entire claim, allowing you to focus on recovery.