One of the most common things you will be asked to do after you report an on-the-job injury is to fill out an accident report. These are things that can be minefields for the unwary.
First, you should know that there is no legal requirement from a worker’s comp perspective that you complete an accident report. You can still have a worker’s comp case without completing one. However, refusing to do one for your employer on request could subject you to discipline or even being fired.
If you do complete one, you should strive to be complete, accurate, and concise, meaning that you should include everything that is true, but not go overboard in being descriptive.
This means that you should include all of the parts of your body that are hurting even if it seems minor at first. It is much easier to discount things that turn out to be nothing than explain why you didn’t include something that turned out to be quite serious.
As for the cause of the accident, you should include what caused your injury without being overly descriptive. “Slipped in grease and fell off a loading dock” is much more complete than “fell off a loading dock,” but at the same time you do not want to go through a whole narrative about what happened.
If there is someone else to blame for your accident other than a co-worker or your employer or there was a defective piece of equipment which caused your injury, you should be especially careful to note that as it can be a valuable piece of evidence if there is a later civil lawsuit.
I hope this has been helpful, and if you know anyone who can benefit from this kind of information, please feel free to share this information or send them to our web site www.RightsOfInjuredTruckers.com.
If you have a current worker’s compensation issue which you need help on, please feel free to reach out to our office by calling us at 312-263-1080 to discuss your issues and what options you have. There is no obligation to hire our law firm, andthere is no charge for the call.
We are here to help truck drivers after an on-the-job accident. Knowledge is power, and the first step in protecting your rights is to know what they are.
Stay safe!
