At Work Injuries

Injuries occurring while you are at work, or Workers’ Compensation claims, are a critical part of our practice. A hard-working workforce is a godsend to a business, and it never ceases to amaze us how few employers really appreciate their workers. Worse, the Missouri Legislature disrespects Missouri workers even more, enacting wave after wave of recent statutory provisions limiting workers’ already-meager recoveries, or eliminating them completely in certain situations.

Against this tide, we stand firm, ready to make your claim stick and get you your compensation. You shouldn’t have to leave a piece of you or a piece of your work ability behind when you leave work–at least not without getting fairly paid for it. But that’s what happens when you suffer a disabling injury at work and some new technicality in the statute robs you of a fair recovery, or worse, any recovery at all. It’s just wrong.

Workers Compensation under Chapter 287 of the Missouri Code is a strange statutory system with many quirks and pitfalls. We relieve your anxiety and take care of all that, and try to make sense of it all. It is also strange what happens when you get hurt at work. Your employer is suddenly treating you with suspicion, and even encourages you to just not make the claim, to be a “team player.” He gets the word out and suddenly, your co-workers don’t want to “get involved.” Then the company or it’s insurer assigns you to see a strange doctor in some “industrial medicine” clinic. But in any event, your assigned doctor is unlike (in a bad way) any other doctor you’ve ever seen. Why? …because he’s actually working for the defense, for the Workers’ Compensation insurer and it’s adjuster! Plainly, he’s not really “your doctor.” 

Then you find out that Missouri law gives your employer’s Workers’ Compensation insurance company the right to dictate where and by whom you are treated for the injury. You have nothing to say about who your doctor is, and if you do go try to your own doctor on the side, your health insurance won’t pay him (due to a work-related injury exclusion in your health insurance policy), so you’ll have to pay for that care out of your own pocket! These are just some examples of how the deck is stacked against the injured worker in Missouri law. Trust me, there’s more!

So when you get hurt at work, here’s what to do: 1) report the injury in writing to your Employer within the first 30 days 2) and hire a lawyer as soon as possible. No injured worker should EVER proceed in a Workers Compensation case without counsel. The field is too complex and has too many pitfalls. We’ve been doing it for 35 years now. You have my number and we’d love to help protect you and help you navigate the labyrinth of technicalities that comprise the Workers’ Compensation system. Again, no recovery, no fee.