Determining the Extent of Injury in a Workman's Compensation Claim

No two accidents ever produce the same result, even under the exact same conditions. The injury you suffered while at work may be causing you secondary health problems that are not common in most patients. Workman's compensation insurers may attempt to deprive you of treatment for those secondary injuries, claiming that they are not related to your workplace injury. If you are being treated in this unjust manner, talk with a Missouri workman's compensation attorney at the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann. We can assist you in getting all of the medical treatment and compensation that you are entitled to.

Take for example a simple slip and fall accident. While one person may only suffer from a slight pain in the back, another's may be so severe that surgery is required. Symptoms other than back pain can also arise, such as severe leg pain, chronic headaches, or in the case of one Missouri worker, urinary incontinence. This is the inability to hold urine inside of the bladder or urethra.

Proving that his incontinence was a direct result of his slip and fall accident was very difficult for this employee, who had fell twice while helping to clean up a spill at work. While he received immediate medical attention for the back injury, the incontinence did not appear until months later, leaving the employer to deny any claim for medical treatment for it. In a case such as this, expert medical testimony is crucial in proving an employee's case, not just for showing how the accident may have caused the prevailing problem, but for why the symptoms took so long to present.

Following the procedure for filing a claim is important in ensuring that all of your injuries are compensated for. Workman's compensation dictates that any request for medical treatment for a work related injury or disease be made before treatment begins unless there are extenuating circumstances. A St. Louis workman's compensation attorney will know all of the laws and how they are applied in your case.

In addition to informing your employer and seeing one of their recommended physicians, you should make sure that you list any and all symptoms you are experiencing after the accident, regardless of how inconsequential they may seem. We all react differently to pain and your symptoms may be masking a larger issue that has not yet presented itself.

If any of your medical treatment is being questioned by your employer after a work related injury, discuss the details of your case with a qualified Missouri workman's compensation attorney. It is your right to be treated medically for all medical conditions that arise as a result of your employment or from an accident within it.

If you have been injured on the job, call the Law Office of James M. Hoffmann at (314) 361-4300 for a free consultation!