Anyone can get injured at any time. However, the reason why this happens is where things diverge. Depending on the circumstances, injuries can be the result of the following reasons:
- By pure accident
- With the intent to harm
- Negligence
Injuries could happen anywhere, even in the workplace. This could be devastating, especially if it can significantly impact your work abilities.
Moreover, because employees are busy, some treat work-related injuries as minor. While this is not always the case, the worst that could happen leads to misdiagnosis or negligence by the medical practitioner in charge.
Although many of these cases aren’t done maliciously, this medical malpractice can still have severe repercussions to the patient’s life. However, this can be avoided with the help of professionals specializing in this field.
What Are Common Misdiagnosed Injuries?
Some injuries are misdiagnosed or overlooked because their symptoms may appear late after the check-up. When this happens, it could lead to the following misdiagnosed health conditions, such as:
- Stroke
- Heart attack
- Thyroid conditions, and more
Typically, these problems could register as headaches or sprained joints. But as you can see, without receiving the proper medical attention, they can be a symptom of any of those conditions. Once you’ve confirmed that it was a misdiagnosis, it’s best to consult a lawyer as soon as you recover and to research for more information about what you can do in this situation.
What To Do If Workplace Injury Was Misdiagnosed
Below are some steps you need to take to handle your misdiagnosed work-related injury:
- Seek Medical Attention
After the initial treatment, you might be thinking that you’ve recovered from the injury. However, it would be best if you still considered the minor pain you’re experiencing; even as ‘simple’ as lower back pain could be severe for those who just came from an injury.
As soon as you’re feeling off, immediately inform your co-workers. It’s best to contact 911 to have them dispatch emergency professionals. Moreover, it would be of great help to be in a comfortable position and perform the necessary first aid procedures, which could alleviate the pain and increase the chances of survival.
- Inform Employer
Once you can function, be sure to report your injury to the supervisor. Although this might not be your first time doing this, filing a report about it is for your benefit. Regardless of how many times you got injured, your employer should possess responsibility for every employee working for them if it happens in the workplace.
By notifying them about your condition, they can only contact insurance to file a claim for your workers’ compensation. Thus, this can cover all medical expenses you might’ve had, which should lighten your load.
However, be aware that there’s a time limit set in place from the time of injury known as the statute of limitations. So, if you don’t want to have your claims forfeited, try to write down your report as soon as you’re able. Of course, depending on your condition, this might sound impossible. But these terms may vary from one state to another. Meaning you might discover your state accepts verbal notice as well. Hence, you must know about these policies in your state before complying.
- Investigate The Scene
Although an insurance company covers the expenses, that doesn’t mean you’re free of charge. Since the employer is responsible for everyone, they might question employees working near the patient. While it may seem intimidating, this is only done to put up preventive measures to lower the chances of another injury occurring with someone else.
On the other hand, by surveying the scene, the patient could build upon their case if they ever plan to go against a specific party. Furthermore, this decision can apply to both employer and employee depending on how the injury occurred.
- Identify Compensation
If there’s proof of how a third party is involved, that’s enough reason to request compensation from their side. To be more thorough in surveying what kind of proof is needed, you’ll need a personal injury lawyer to guide you through the process. Besides that, have a professional accompany you during the agreement period. With their guide, they could analyze the conditions correctly.
Takeaway
Work-related injuries are uncertain, and the risk is higher depending on your work environment. Additionally, a ‘small incident’ shouldn’t be taken lightly and should be treated with utmost importance as negligence and misdiagnosis could compromise your health. Therefore, misdiagnosis must be resolved as soon as possible.
