Living life requires dealing with the unexpected. And unfortunately, sometimes situations occur when we’re not exactly prepared. As such, getting injured on the job is one situation that nobody plans for.
Workplace accidents occur every day. In fact, it’s been estimated that approximately 340 million workplace accidents resulting in injury happen each year.
When you’re depending on your job, living from paycheck to paycheck, the last thing you want to deal with is an injury that often results in a costly financial setback. But unfortunately, this is an all too common reality for many people across the United States.
Thankfully, there are many steps and courses of action that you can take in order to recover from a workplace accident. And being informed of these courses of action puts you ahead of the game when a workplace injury arises.
Here, we’ll explore how you can deal with unexpected financial problems resulting from a workplace injury.
Seek Medical Attention
The first step in dealing with workplace injuries is to see a doctor not only to get treatment but to have documentation of the injury as well as your medical expenses. This is going to be critical if you choose to file a lawsuit.
Keep a Journal
Every day that you’re out of work, you should keep a journal of your symptoms and your condition, and of your lost wages. This will also be helpful in the event that you need to seek legal action for compensation for your injuries.
Consult with Your HR Department
In the event of a workplace accident, consulting with your HR department is going to be further documentation that you’ll have. Additionally, and depending on your company’s policies, you should have had the accident documented on-site as well.
Further, your HR department will likely be able to supply you with the appropriate forms to fill out in the event of an accident, and inform you if you’re eligible for worker’s compensation.
File a Lawsuit
If your company isn’t cooperating with you and your injuries were sustained due to company negligence, you’ll be eligible to file a lawsuit. In this case, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers offers experienced personal injury attorneys that you can consult with for pushing your claim forward.
When consulting a personal injury lawyer, you’ll likely can expect the following:
- Receive a free consultation
- Obtain documentation of the accident
- Obtain documentation of your injuries
- Obtain documents regarding lost wages
- File a claim for compensation
Though there are many other steps involved in working with a personal injury attorney and filing a lawsuit, if you’ve found that your employer or insurance company aren’t willing to cooperate, a lawsuit may be your only path forward in collecting the compensation that you’re rightfully owed.
Contact Your Creditors
Initially, if you know you’ll be out of work for some time, contacting your creditors can be one of the most proactive things you can do. And you may be surprised to learn that most creditors are willing to keep you as a customer and adjust your payments if possible if a life-altering situation occurs.
Make Arrangements with Your Landlord
One of the biggest worries when it comes to being injured on the job and being out of work indefinitely is how to pay the rent. And just like contacting your creditors, alerting your landlord to your workplace injury can buy you some time in most cases.
For example, you may be able to get a discount on your rent, or push your payment to a later date.
Take Out an Emergency Loan
One last thing to consider is to take out an emergency loan to cover your bills while you wait for compensation. And if you’re expecting to receive compensation, the value of the loan can be included in the monetary award that you’ll receive in most cases.
For example, just like filing a claim for your lost wages, having to take out a loan is considered a hardship that was caused by the accident. As such, you should also be eligible for reimbursement for money received from an emergency loan as well. And this is something you should discuss with your attorney.
Accidents happen when we least expect them. But thankfully, there are plenty of options to consider when you find yourself out of work at no fault of your own. And if you adhere to the steps listed here, you’ll likely be able to recover from a workplace accident and be back on your feet and in good financial health.
Aidan has been writing about personal finance for over 6 years. Prior to this, he worked as a Corporate Finance Analyst where he specialized in Due Diligence, Company Valuations and more. He is a CFA charterholder.
