What to Do After a Slip and Fall at Work

Thousands of employees in Virginia suffer injuries at work from slips and falls, according to the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission. The 2019 VWC Annual Report cited 48,294 major workplace injuries and 77,318 minor injuries for the year. Falls, slips, or trips were the cause of 22% of those injuries.

You expect to go to work and come home safely every day. But accidents happen and given how many hours we spend at work, often they will happen on the job. When you?re hurt during the course of your employment, likely workers’ compensation will cover your medical expenses and provide a percentage of your wages while you recover. To protect your rights after a workplace accident or illness, contact Lugar Injury Law to discuss your claim.

Contact us at (540) 384-0348 or fill out our online form to schedule a free consultation about your workers’ compensation claim.

Actions After a Slip and Fall

Given one in five work injuries in Virginia are related to slip and falls, it?s important to know what to do after a slip and fall on the job.

1. Assess your physical condition. It may be tempting to try to pop up from a slip and fall to ward off attention and embarrassment. Don?t do it. You could further injury yourself. Take some time to evaluate your condition.
2. Look around. Are there witnesses to the accident? Can you see if anything tripped you or if there was something slick on the floor resulting in your fall? Try to make a mental note of these things or if you have your smartphone and are well enough make pictures, videos, or notes. If you can?t document the scene, but others are around, ask them to do it.
3. After collecting yourself, looking around, and recognizing injuries, you can try to get up or accept help in doing so. Just make sure you are helped into a chair so that you don?t have to stand. If you can?t get up or are scared that being moved might lead to additional injury, call for help, or ask witnesses to do so.
4. Seek medical attention right away. Even if you believe nothing is hurt but your pride. Some injuries do not immediately present themselves and you need to be checked out by a medical professional in case something develops after a few days.
5. Consult your employee handbook about the process for reporting your workplace injury and FOLLOW THE PROCEDURE. If you don?t have a handbook or can?t get one quickly, at the very minimum tell your supervisor (preferably in writing) that you were hurt on the job, give details of the incident, and what injuries resulted. Be careful not to downplay your injuries or say it is ?only? this or that. It may take time to know the full extent of your injuries.
6. Consult a workers’ compensation attorney like those at Lugar Law.
7. File a claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission within the statutory time to do so. It is your responsibility to file the claim, not your employer?s.
8. Follow your health care provider?s instruction as to treatment, rehabilitation, and follow-up.
9. Report any changes in your condition to your employer, your workers’ comp attorney, and to your medical provider.
10. Tell your counsel if your employer appears to be impeding your right to workers’ compensation. Your employer cannot take an adverse action against you for filing for workers’ comp.

Filing Deadlines

Pursuant to Virginia law, employees hurt on the job while performing their duties may be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. To protect this eligibility, you must:

• Report your injury to your employer as soon as possible but no later than 30 days from the date of the accident, or within 30 days of the date a doctor says you have a workplace injury or illness.
• File a claim with the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission no later than two years after the accident or diagnosed work-related disease.

The quickest way to find yourself without compensation for your workplace injury is failure to timely file your claim or failure to notify your employer of your injury. Having an experienced workers’ comp attorney from Lugar Law can make sure your rights are protected.

Injured at Work in a Slip and Fall? Let Us Help

Getting hurt on the job can be devastating. You must recovery from your injuries and the financial burden must be addressed. Our Roanoke workers’ compensation attorneys can handle your claim while you focus on recovering from your slip and fall. Let us take the legal burdens from you.

Contact Lugar Law today at (540) 384-0348 or fill out our online form for a FREE consultation.