Things To Avoid While You Recover From A Workplace Injury

Law Blog

An important detail to accept when you're off work as a result of a workplace injury is that there's a high probability of you being under surveillance. In an effort to identify fraud, many employers will hire private investigators to watch employees who have claimed a workplace injury. The workers' compensation attorney you've hired can tell you more about this situation, but you should adopt the mindset that you're constantly under surveillance whenever you're outside of your home. As such, here are some things that you should avoid.

Lifting Anything Heavy

If your workplace injury has left you with a back injury of any type, your employer's investigators will be looking for signs that you're exaggerating the injury. An easy way to potentially prove that you're not being forthright about the severity of your back pain is to shoot photos of you lifting anything heavy. 

If you're claiming that your back pain is so bad that you can hardly move, photos that show you carrying your child, heavy grocery bags, or anything else of a significant weight may send a message that you aren't being truthful. Commit to not lifting anything heavy. Not only might doing so worsen your back condition, but it could also harm your case.

Outward Expressions Of Happiness

Emotional suffering is another big element of workers' compensation cases, and your attorney may be looking for a significant settlement for you because of the emotional distress that you've incurred from the injury. You want to be very wary about avoiding public expressions of happiness. 

It can be difficult for your attorney to move forward with your case if the employer's investigators have provided attorneys with images that show you smiling or laughing. You don't necessarily need to walk around with a frown, but be cognizant of your appearance. For example, if you're at your child's soccer game and he or she scores, jumping out and down and exclaiming happily isn't in your best interest.

Non-Medical Travel

You should also try to avoid traveling while you're home with your injury. Part of you might see this as a perfect time to take a vacation, but this can be detrimental. It's easy for the employer's attorneys to argue that your injury is minor if you were able to visit the beach or take a golf vacation, for example. While it's OK to travel for medical appointments — and, in fact, doing so will show the severity of your injury — you should stay away from any personal travel.

For more information, contact your local workers' compensation defense lawyer.

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9 July 2018

Every Business Owner Needs to Be Well-versed in Law

While I took a few business classes in college, I left early to start my own business. I thought I had the knowledge I needed to become a great business owner and was eager to start my business. Soon, I had a new business that was actually performing pretty well in sales. Unfortunately, I hadn't taken any law courses in college, and I soon realized I made a few mistakes when starting my business that could cause me some legal trouble. Thankfully, a great business lawyer helped me correct my mistakes before I had any legal problems, but I then decided to take those business law courses. I want to help business owners and anyone else who would like to learn more about the law by starting a blog where I will share what I have learned and will continue to learn. I hope I can help you!