Gather as much accurate contact information for witnesses as you can. This is essential because so many times it’s necessary to verify what a client is saying about what happened. Sometimes the person who was injured didn’t see what happened, exactly. Each witness will have a different piece of the puzzle that will help a good workers’ comp lawyer arrive at a clear picture of what happened.
Accurately gather all information about the injury. We need all available information concerning medical providers and bills, plus any kind of documentation that helps show what happened to you as a result of the accident.
Perhaps most importantly, get in touch with an attorney as quickly as possible after you’ve been injured. You can be sure that if it’s a serious injury, the other side already is doing that.
In Chicago worker compensation law there is a statute of limitations which, for all practical purposes, turns out to be three years from the date of the occurrence of the accident, or two years from the date on which compensation was last paid, whatever is shorter.
Sometimes injured workers wait to contact a lawyer until they have all the information they think they will need for their cases, but it’s important to see a good workers compensation attorney as quickly as they can following an accident, even before a lot of the information becomes available to them. We can go find it if they lead us in the right direction but we want to get working on a case as soon after the actual occurrence as we can.
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When wrongful conduct of another causes you serious injury or results in the death of a loved one