This process details the steps you should take upon sustaining a personal injury. There are eight critical steps and each one should be exercised to ensure a proper approach in dealing with a personal injury. This step-by-step process will deal exclusively with worker’s compensation, motor vehicle accidents and public liability claims.
Step 1 – Report the Injury
- Worker’s Compensation: If you sustain an injury while working on company time, you should immediately report the kind and cause of the injury to your boss. It is important to do so immediately. If you wait to report the injury, this could hurt you later in the future as skeptical questions will arise. If you are able to, meet your boss in person and show him the severity and type of your injury. Your boss should supply you with the respectful forms to fill out and notify the company’s insurance company
- Motor Vehicle Accident: First, you’ll want to get the names and numbers of anyone in the area who witnessed the accident. If you collided with another person’s car, you should take proper notes of the person’s insurance provider, the extent of the damage, the kind of the damage, and contact information. Exchange information and then contact the police. They will issue you a Traffic Incident Number (TFN), which will be vital when pursuing your claim.
- Public Liability Claim: You’ll have to find out who owns the property that you were injured on and exchange contact information with them. Ask for their insurance provider and let them know you will be in touch. Don’t hesitate at all to make an incident report to the owner of the property, whether it is a sole person, a company, or any kind of business.
Step 2 – Consult Your Doctor
There are two main reasons for doing this:
1) for your well-being and
2) for legal purposes that will help your future case when you make a claim.
It is wise to see a doctor who knows you on a personal level as they will not hesitate to give you a medical certificate. They won’t think your claim is fraudulent and things will be able to progress smoothly. The medical certificate will be vital when lodging your claim. Your doctor will be able to give you a professional opinion in written form that will include a diagnosis.
Step 3 – Lodge Your Claim
- Worker’s Compensation: You’ll need to complete a claim form given to you by your employer or as found on various WorkCover websites. These websites specialize in providing claim forms that suit your specific purposes. The form, and the medical certificate produced by your doctor, will have to be sent to your employer’s insurance company. These documents can easily be faxed.
- Motor Vehicle Accident: This can be a hard claim to lodge if the person at fault proves to be difficult in providing information. What the person at fault should do is provide you with proper forms provided by their insurance company. You should then fill those forms out and send them to the person’s insurance company as well as the medical certificate you procured. If the person is uncooperative, you will then have to get the proper forms from your insurance company and proceed under their guidance.
- Public Liability Claim: You’ll have to fill out a Personal Injury Proceedings Act (PIPA) form. This type of form can only be given to you by a solicitor. After you fill out this form properly, you’ll have to send it to the faulty person’s insurance company.
Step 4 – Seek Legal Advice
Legal companies or private personal injury lawyers help on many different levels. First off, they take care of all of the claims forms and lodging. The only thing you have to do is get the most basic information about those involved with your injury. Lawyers can offer you reviews that detail how long a proceeding will take and what the outcome of the claim will be. Lawyers relieve a lot of stress and allow you to proceed with your life without a lot of interruption. Legal advice costs money, but it is well worth the cost. Also, many legal companies or private lawyers often only charge a fee if they are successful in getting you the money you deserve.
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