A warning about late reporting and why employers dispute these workers’ compensation claims.
A friend of mine insists you should never buy a car built on Monday. He thinks factory workers sacrifice quality when they are exhausted from the weekend. I don’t believe this old wives’ tale but could not convince him otherwise.
Some employers use the same faulty logic when workplace injuries are reported on a Monday. They assume an employee got hurt over the weekend and now wants a free ride from workers’ compensation. Our experience shows this rarely occurs and most people have good intentions.
Many employees fear reporting a work accident. Will they lose their job? How will they support their family on a reduced income? What if the employer disputes the claim?
It is also normal to think a problem will get better over the weekend. Just because a person did not report an injury until the following Monday does not make it automatically false.
Michigan law gives an employee 90 days to report an injury to an employer. However, waiting even 1 day could have dire consequences for a claim. We advise our clients to report all injuries immediately. Just telling a manager or supervisor that you got hurt is probably enough.
Giving the correct medical history is another important step. Tell your doctor about every body part that was affected. Sometimes doctors triage patients and only concern themselves with the most critical injuries. This can come back to haunt a person when it turns out that a serious problem was overlooked.
Michigan Workers Comp Lawyers never charges a fee to evaluate a potential case. Our law firm has represented injured and disabled workers exclusively for more than 35 years. Call (855) 221-2667 for a free consultation today.
Related information:
How long do you have to file a workers comp claim in Michigan?
