St. Louis Workplace Accident Lawyer

For more than 30 years, the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann, has been helping injured employees protect their rights to workers’ compensation benefits.

Many injured workers have a difficult time getting their workers compensation benefits. There have been situations where supervisors have refused to fill out an incident report because the injury was not severe enough or because the employee didn’t know the exact date/time their pain started despite explaining that the repetitive nature of their job causes them pain every day.

Some employee’s feel intimidated by their supervisor and continue working in pain. Others believe the supervisor who said you don’t have a claim if you don’t know the exact date and time. Then you seek treatment from your doctor, but the receptionist won’t schedule an appointment because you said it is a workers’ compensation injury.  Or, you seek treatment from your doctor and tell him that it is not a work comp injury (because you believed your supervisor).

Missouri Workers Compensation enables an injured worker to receive medical benefits as well as income benefits. You should be receiving treatment for ALL of your workplace injuries, not just the ones the insurance carrier wants to accept. Do not let the insurance company deny you benefits.

Have You Suffered a Workplace Accident?

If you have been injured in the workplace, the first thing you should do is tell your employer. The second thing you should do is seek immediate medical attention. If it is an emergency, remember you do not need permission to seek medical treatment.

As soon as you are able, start documenting everything yourself! Your entire case is already being documented by the other side. Your employer, the claims adjuster, and their doctor are all making records. Do not assume that they will accurately document the facts, your complaints, your request for additional care, conversations about permanent problems or even the report of injury.

Document your case in the form of letters. Print your name, your date of birth, and your phone number. Make sure the date is on the letter. Keep a copy!

Additionally, confirm that you reported the injury. Confirm how the workplace accident happened. Confirm what the doctor tells you. Confirm your requests for additional medical care. Confirm that your pain is worse due to the employer’s failure to provide work within the medical restrictions.

Who is at Risk for Workplace Accidents?

Where you work is not what makes the difference. A receptionist facing carpal tunnel or other repetitive stress injuries, has as much right to her state protected benefits as a construction worker who has been permanently disabled by a back injury.

The workplace is one of the most common places that people are injured. Many workers who are at risk of workplace accidents include:

• Healthcare Workers
• Truck Drivers
• Teachers
• Firefighters
• Factory Employees
• Office Employees
• Carpenters
• Sheet Metal Workers

The right attorney can make a world of difference in the outcome of your workers’ compensation claim.