Necessary Evidence For A Work Injury Claim

Posted in Uncategorized on May 3, 2022

If you or somebody you love sustains a workplace injury, then you should be able to recover compensation for your medical bills and a major portion of your lost wages if you are unable to work. However, insurance carriers and employers could push back against having to pay out a fair amount of compensation. Here, we want to discuss what type of evidence may be necessary to ensure that your work injury claim gets paid appropriately.

Gather as Much Evidence as Possible

There may be various types of evidence that can help ensure that your work injury claim is properly paid by insurance carriers. Please understand that insurance carriers and the employer often look for reasons to deny or limit how much compensation they pay, and this may involve trying to say that the injury did not occur in the way it was reported.

Work injury victims in Arizona, along with their attorneys, should work to gather various types of evidence that can help prove what happened to support the workers’ compensation claim. This includes:

• Photographs were taken at the scene of the incident. This can include photos of the injuries, causes of the injury, the surrounding area, and more.
• Statements from eyewitnesses, including managers and coworkers. These statements can provide valuable evidence to the insurance carriers or at any eventual trial related to the case.
• Video surveillance from nearby cameras. Even though surveillance camera footage may not be available right away, we strongly encourage individuals to try and obtain this footage before it can be erased or discarded. Your attorney will work through the court system to obtain this footage if necessary.
• Proof of prior injuries in the workplace. In general, an attorney will need to go through the court system to obtain any records related to an unsafe workplace or a pattern of unsafe behaviors by the employer.

In addition to physical evidence gathered at the scene of the incident and through the employer, it may be necessary for an attorney to bring in expert witnesses who can provide testimony to insurance carriers or during any workers’ compensation appeal. This could include accident reconstruction experts or medical experts testifying about the injuries that occurred.

It is crucial to obtain all medical records related to workplace injury. This includes any emergency hospital records, doctor’s records, documentation showing the need for long-term care, bills for prescription medications or medical devices, and more.

Contact an Attorney Immediately

If you or somebody you care about has sustained a workplace injury in Arizona, you need to contact an attorney as soon as possible. A skilled Phoenix work injury lawyer will thoroughly examine every aspect of your claim and determine the best steps moving forward. Importantly, an attorney will have the resources necessary to conduct a complete investigation into the incident in order to gather the evidence needed to prove what happened.

Individuals who sustained workplace injuries in Arizona should be able to recover a range of compensation for what happened. This includes complete coverage of all medical bills related to the incident as well as a significant portion of lost wages if a person cannot work while recovering.