Returning to Work After Car Accident in PA
A serious car accident can leave you unable to work for weeks or months while you recover. The prospect of returning to work can feel simultaneously urgent and overwhelming. A car crash is no laughing matter and can lead to severe physical and mental ailments. If you’ve been in a wreck and are concerned about how it may affect your return to work, read on for tips on getting back to work after a car crash. Call a dedicated Chestnut Hill car crash lawyer for help after a car accident in Philadelphia.
Document Your Symptoms
After a car accident, pay close attention to all of your injury-related symptoms, both physical and mental. This means keeping copies of medical reports as well as writing down notes about your symptoms; if you experience pain, stiffness, or weakness, for example, even if just in the morning, make a note of it. If you are feeling unusual anxiety or depression, write it down. These notes will help your doctor give you the best possible treatment, will put you and your doctor on immediate notice of any unexpected complications, and will be helpful in strengthening your personal injury case and maximizing your potential compensation.
Get a Doctor’s Note Regarding Physical Limitations
A serious car accident can leave you unable to perform some or all of your workplace duties for a long stretch of time. Even if you are able to return to work, you may be unable to perform all of your workplace tasks. Employers are required to provide accommodations for disabilities
Make sure to get a note from your doctor explaining your physical limitations so that your employer knows what you can and cannot do. You may need to take on different tasks (administrative work instead of heavy lifting, for example), or you may need to work more limited hours. The doctor’s note serves as proof that you aren’t making up the limitations on your own and gives your employer a complete picture of your current capacity.
Go to All Follow-Up Doctor’s Appointments
Even if you feel ready to go back to work, you should continue to see your doctor in accordance with their advice. Injuries can resurface if you do not adhere to your doctor’s advice; failing to go to all appointments can prolong your injury and delay your return to full work capabilities.
Additionally, if you are pursuing a personal injury case, skipping doctor’s appointments can severely weaken your claims. The defendant or insurance provider can point to you skipping appointments as evidence that either your injuries are not as severe as you claim or that you are responsible for the injuries getting worse, limiting your monetary recovery.
Take Your Time
It’s easy to feel pressured to return to work as soon as possible; do not rush. If you go back to work too soon after your accident, you may worsen your condition and trigger unnecessary complications. You can also weaken your personal injury case by making your injuries appear less severe than they actually are. Wait until you and your doctor agree that you are ready to return to the job for full or modified duties.
Workers’ Comp Covers Car Accidents
Pennsylvania law requires most employers to carry workers’ compensation insurance. Workers’ comp benefits are available to any worker who is injured on the job or while performing work duties. If you were injured in a car accident while on the job, such as while making a delivery or operating a vehicle on a construction site, you are entitled to workers’ comp benefits.
If you were injured because of a negligent driver, you can collect workers’ comp in addition to seeking damages against the at-fault driver, provided that the at-fault driver is not also part of your company. You cannot sue your employer or co-worker for negligence based on a workplace injury.
EXPERIENCED LEGAL HELP WITH A DEBILITATING CAR CRASH CLAIM IN PHILADELPHIA
If you or someone you love has been injured in a traffic accident in Pennsylvania, you need the help of a zealous and thorough personal injury attorney to get the damages you deserve. Benedum Law founding attorney Christine Benedum has dedicated her career to fighting for accident victims and knows how to get her clients the compensation they deserve from those at fault. Contact a savvy Philadelphia car accident victim attorney at Benedum Law in Chestnut Hill for a free consultation on your case at 215-529-7848 (215-LAWSUIT).
