7 reasons to make a work accident compensation claim
If you have been involved in an accident at work, should you make a claim for compensation? Many people are worried of the consequences, but what are the consequences if you do not make one? This article explores those and provides information so you can consider what action you should take.
1 Your Legal Rights
If you are injured at work and your employer has failed to protect you, you are legally entitled to make an accident at work claim for compensation. The law is put in place for you to protect you and, therefore, you should make use of it if you are subsequently injured.
2 Improve Health And Safety At Work
Your employer has a duty to ensure that all staff are kept safe whilst working. If you are involved in an accident and do not report it or do not make a claim, your employer may carry on with the same level of health and safety that was in place prior to your accident. If you make a claim for compensation your employer is more likely to improve their standards of health and safety.
3 Protect Your Fellow Employees
As above, if you are injured due to your employer not protecting you at work, it is quite possible that other employees could suffer the same or even worse injuries. If you do not report the accident or do not make a claim, your employer will not improve the conditions and your fellow employees may suffer. If your fellow employee subsequently makes a claim for compensation suffering similar injury to your own and discovers that you had also been injured whilst evidentially this might help their claim, they may be frustrated that you did not take action that could ultimately have prevented their injury.
4 You Should Not Lose Your Job?
Many people are worried that if they make a claim for compensation from their employer they will lose their job. This should never be the case, but if this did happen, you could make an additional claim for compensation from your employer for your lost earnings. A specialist solicitor will be able to advise you of your options.
5 The Clock Ticks
You have three years to make a claim for compensation from the date of the accident. This does not mean that in that three year period you simply have to contact a solicitor, but that you must issue Court proceedings within that three year period. A solicitor will usually need at least six months before the end of that three year period to investigate the claim and to prepare Court proceedings for issue. Therefore, you do not have a lot of time to instruct a solicitor to start your claim.
6 Evidence
Another reason to make early contact with a work accident claim specialist is that they will need to obtain evidence to support your claim for compensation. They will need to investigate the scene of the accident, interview witnesses and take photographs if necessary. This evidence is best obtained when it is still fresh in everyone’s mind.
7 Future Complications
If you fail to make a claim for work accident compensation and subsequently your injury deteriorates after the three year period, you will not be able to make a claim. However, if you start a claim for compensation you will receive treatment and medical evidence which may pick up potential future complications and avoid those from ever happening.
Conclusion
It can be seen that whilst there may be many reasons why you may not want to make a work accident claim, there are also many reasons why you should make one. If you need help, please contact a specialist work accident claim lawyer