What to Do After an Accidental Fall at Work

Last Updated on May 16, 2024

Any kind of accident can have serious consequences on your physical, mental, and emotional health, and can also end up costing you a lot of money in medical bills, loss of earnings, and other damages. Whilst there are no good accidents to be involved in, being in an accident at work is perhaps the most stressful as you are often forced to go up against your employers in legal proceedings. There are tens of thousands of workplace accidents in the US every year, with around 6,000 of these being fatal. 

Falling at work due to unsafe working conditions, negligence or bad working practices are some of the most common reasons for a workplace accident. It can be very hard to know what to do if you have been involved in a fall, but taking the right steps is vital to be able to move on with your life. This article is a guide to what to do after an accidental fall at work.

1. Seek Medical Attention

The most important thing to do following an accident, whether it was an incident at work or a vehicle crash, is to seek immediate attention from a medical professional. They will be able to ascertain the extent of your injuries and prescribe the right course of treatment to help you recover. It is vital that you do not delay before seeing a doctor for two main reasons. First of all, early diagnosis and treatment always lead to better results, so if you leave it too long to get help, you could be causing problems for your recovery. 

Second, it is really important that you obtain your medical reports immediately to be used in any legal proceedings which come as a result of the accident. Your lawyers will need these as evidence when building and presenting your case, and in many states, there is a limitation on the period between the accident and the obtaining of the records, after which they cannot be used as evidence.

2. Report the Accident to Your Superiors

Every workplace in the US must, by law, have a book in which accidents and other dangerous incidents can be reported. This acts as a contemporaneous record of what happened so that it can be used in evidence. Be sure to report the circumstances of your fall, who was there, and what time it happened. Do not be intimidated or dissuaded by your boss or supervisor from reporting your accident. Your lawyers will be able to submit the accident book as evidence, which, along with your medical reports, will add significant weight to your case. It is illegal for anyone to try to stop someone from reporting an accident, so make a note of anyone who does and tell your attorney.

3. Hire an Experienced Accident Attorney

As noted above, it is always advisable to hire an experienced attorney to take over your case when you have been involved in an accident at work. Specialized accident attorneys will have had many clients who have been involved in a slip, trip, or other incidents in their workplace and so will know how to construct and present your case so that you have the best possible chance of getting the compensation you need to move on from the incident. Going up against your employers can be very intimidating, but your attorneys will ensure that your rights will be protected and that no one can take any revenge against you.

4. Get Statements from Any Witnesses

Making a successful claim after an accident is all about presenting as much evidence as possible to prove your case. Along with medical records and the accident book, another decisive piece of evidence is witness testimony. This can be difficult to obtain, especially in the case of workplace incidents, because witnesses will also be concerned about going up against their employers. Your attorneys will be able to speak to them and advise them of their rights. It may be possible to get an anonymous witness statement so that they don’t need to fear repercussions. Your attorney can give the court the witness’s details and they will be contacted without their identity being revealed to the employer.

Moving on from a bad accident is very stressful, but having to make a claim against an employer is particularly difficult. Just remember that you have rights and that no one can abuse them or try to intimidate you into dropping your claim. Hire an experienced attorney and let them take care of everything whilst you put all your energy into recovering from your injuries.