A major part of our job as workers compensation attorneys is education. The more educated our clients (and prospective clients) are, the better. The more you know, the better decisions you can make for yourself and your family. That’s part of the reason we write these blogs. We hope that no one is ever hurt on the job. However, should it happen (and it happens all too frequently), we want to serve as a resource. That way, you can know what you can do and what you should do. In this blog, we’ll go over some facts about orthopedic injuries in Glendale, so that you know what your rights are.
Orthopedic Injuries in Glendale
The truth about injuries is that they can occur at any time. They can happen when you least expect it. We may believe that it’s the one place where we’re safe, as we know exactly what we should do at any given moment. However, work injuries happen all of the time. When they do, you deserve compensation for these injuries. You deserve compensation even if the accident was technically your fault.
That can take a moment for people to wrap their heads around, as it goes against much of what we know about injury law. We’re used to hearing about car accidents and other kinds of personal injury cases: if a car accident was your fault, you may not receive the same compensation, and so forth. Workers compensation isn’t like that. If you were hurt doing your job, you deserve compensation in the state of California. You want to make sure that you receive as much compensation as you deserve. That’s where we come in.
At the ODG Law Group, we can walk you through every step of the process. We can help you to get your due compensation. From the moment you call us for an initial, first consultation, we will be your side. We only consider the job done once you receive due compensation. Tell your supervisor you got hurt at work. Even if you think it was a small injury, something that you don’t have to worry about – let them know. Seemingly minor, inconsequential injuries can become something much worse, even with appropriate medical care.
They Can’t Fire You for Filing Workers Compensation
This is one claim that we see quite a bit. There’s a misconception that, should you suffer an injury at work and file for workers compensation, your boss can then fire you for having done so. No. This is illegal. Even if you’re an at-will employee, where the law says that your boss can fire you whenever they want for whatever they want, they still can’t fire you after suffering an at-work injury and filing workers compensation.
Should this kind of thing happen, you can absolutely file a lawsuit against the employer. You can file it for retaliatory termination, discrimination and more – we will absolutely file this suit on your behalf. You can receive far more than you would have for the workers’ compensation. Now, as you might imagine, this does get into something of a grey area when it comes to independent contractors and freelancers.
The one thing we always recommend to freelancers who suffer at work injury: talk to us. Schedule a free consultation. The law here isn’t as ironclad as it is with at-will employees. This is where we can engage in that education we mentioned earlier in the blog. We’ve found that different freelancers have different situations, so we can tailor our approach to your case. When you come in to talk to us about being hurt in the course of your freelancing job, we can let you know whether or not you have a case. As this consultation is absolutely 100% free, you have nothing to lose by coming in. At best, you could discover that you absolutely do have a strong claim to workers compensation.
Things to Be Wary Of
Employers can’t fire you for getting hurt on the job, much less for filing for workers compensation. They know this. Some have an underhanded way around it: they won’t fire you, but they will do everything in their power to make your job essentially unworkable. They’ll try to make your day-to-day unbearable. Perhaps they’ll do little things, perhaps they’ll do dramatic ones – we’ve seen both with our clients. The goal isn’t necessarily to make you mad, the goal is to get you to quit. See, if you quit, then they win. They terminate you without having to illegally fire you.
Obviously, this is the kind of thing that you as an employee want to be careful about alleging. But, this does happen. If you believe this is happening to you, the best thing you can do is to write things down. Make notes and documentation. Every time you think your employer has done something untoward to make your job unnecessarily harder, make a note of it. Whenever they do something they don’t have just to make your day worse, record it.
Then, look at the evidence in front of you. Bring the evidence to us if you believe they’re targeting you unfairly. These consultations will always be free, so the worst thing that can happen is that our attorneys will tell you that you may not yet have a case at this time. However, what may happen is that we’ll tell you that you do have a case. Then, we’ll go into action, making sure that this behavior stops. You don’t have to put up with that behavior.
You Can Appeal Denied Decisions
Suffering an at-work injury is hard. It can feel worse when your workers’ compensation claim is denied. However, it’s important to keep in mind that these denials can be appealed. This process is somewhat complicated. You need experienced workers compensation attorneys at your side. That being said, we have been successful in appealing these decisions, so that our clients were able to get the compensation that they deserve.
We’ve helped our clients who had their workers compensation claims denied for all sorts of reasons. Clients came to us after their claims were denied for having been disputed by their employer, for having failed to report the injury or time or just missed a deadline. We’ve even had clients who were told they failed to obtain medical treatment or were told they failed to show the evidence happened while doing their job. You don’t have to accept this. Our attorneys can sit down with you to figure out if there’s a great way to appeal your claim.
Everything starts with a simple, free consultation. These consultations are some of the best parts of our job: we get to connect with real people and show them how we can help. When you’re hurt on the job, or your compensation claim has already been denied, it can feel like there’s nowhere else to turn. We started our law firm so that working people could get the money they deserve. As ours is a family-based business, we understand very well the importance of family. To schedule that free consultation with us, just give us a call at (818) 975-3080. We’ll be glad to talk.
