Picture the scene – you’re walking through your workplace, be it an office or warehouse, quietly minding your own business, when BANG! A slip, trip, fall or a box falling from on high – suddenly you’re on the floor nursing a broken leg or trying to stem the flow of blood from a head injury.
As you roll around in agony, a suited man wanders up to you, points a finger in your direction, and bellows, “HAVE YOU BEEN INJURED IN THE WORKPLACE?”
“Yes,” you groan. “Are you able to help?”
With that, the suited man hands you a phone number for advice and wanders out of sight.
In reality, a personal injury claim lawyer can’t be quite that efficient – only Spiderman has in-built danger sensors, but no legal background, so can’t help in this situation –but they are exactly the people to call for in-depth advice on any workplace accident.
With your health compromised so dramatically, you really have no choice.
The legal process
But what happens when you contact an injury lawyer?
First off, you’ll be asked to go through the nature of your accident step-by-step, citing what you did, where you were and the effect the accident has had on you. From this brief interview (usually undertaken over the phone), your lawyer will be able to decide if your case has a leg to stand on in court.
From there, it’s time for a bit of sleuthing. If your case is given the go-ahead, you’ll need witness statements, doctor’s reports, employee safety records, personal testimony, CCTV footage or picture evidence to show, beyond reasonable doubt, that the accident wasn’t your fault.
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Johnathan Creek or Columbo, you’ll know that the smallest piece of evidence can prove to be the linchpin of a good case. So you and your representation should hunt exhaustively for mounds of proof to support your claim.
Next up, your lawyer will contact your employee to inform them of the mounting case against them, to which the employee can choose either an out-of-court settlement or dismiss the case and risk going to court.
By this point in time, your solicitor will be doing the majority of the legwork, and you have to make sure you put your trust firmly in their representation. Courts and testimonies can be stressful affairs, but you’ll be completely at ease with a solid case and expert lawyer.
The take-home message of this article is this – if you have an accident at work, don’t be frightened to make a claim. With the right guidance, you’ll be making sure the law is upheld.
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