How To Talk About Your Work Comp Case With Family, Friends and Coworkers

If you suffer an injury at work, people are going to ask you questions about the incident and how it will affect you going forward. Most of these people genuinely care about your well being, but that doesn’t mean you should go into full detail about what happened at work. We’ve seen first hand how an offhand comment to a friend or family member can tank a case or cause a rift in the family, so today, we’re going to share some tips for talking to family, friends or coworkers about your injury case.

Talking To Family and Friends After A Work Injury

Your family and your close circle of friends are the most likely to reach out and ask about your accident or what they can do to help, and you’re going to want to explain what happened. Just be sure that anything you tell them lines up with what you told your supervisor or what was written in the official accident report. Even going into more detail than what was on the injury report can cause a delay in benefits while the insurance company double checks the facts. While it seems unlikely that something you tell your wife or your brother will end up making its way back to your company or an claims investigator, you don’t need to take that risk. Stick to the basics while your case plays out.

Another reason why you want to be careful what you share with family and friends is because sometimes problems can develop over money. If you’re telling people that you’re filling a large claim, some people may start asking for money, and that’s not something you’ll want to deal with. Even if you don’t expressly say how much you’re filling for, money can still come up, and that can make things stressful because if you’re not working, your regular income will have significantly decreased. We’ve found that it’s best to just avoid the topic of money, but if you’re going to discuss it with your significant other, make sure they aren’t loose with this information.

Talking To Coworkers After A Work Injury

A few coworkers may be some of your closest friends, or they may simply want to learn about the work accident, so they may also ask about your injury. Again, be very careful about what you say to your coworkers. If you tell a coworker a version of events that is different than the accident report, it could result in the cancellation of your benefits. Even if you believe they are a close friend, don’t overshare or tell them something that you didn’t put in the official injury report.

Another reason why it’s a good idea to limit the information you tell to coworkers is that some of them may be angry or jealous about the situation. They may be mad about having to cover your shift, or they may be jealous that you’re in line for a big payday. If they find out something that could hurt your case, they may share it with management out of spite. Again, you don’t expect this to happen, but don’t put yourself in a position to allow it to happen.

Finally, one aspect last aspect we want to mention is how you discuss the case on social media. Assume that anything you write about your injury or your case can be directly viewed by an insurance claims adjuster. If you assume that, then nothing you write about your case on social media should negatively affect your case. Problems occur when you think you’re venting to your social circle, and that information ends up in the wrong hands. Even if you think your profile is set to private, don’t share anything that you wouldn’t want your boss or the insurance company to see. Before posting anything, ask yourself, is there any way this could hurt my case? If it could in any way jeopardize your claim, don’t put it online.

If you need help with any aspect of your workers’ compensation case, or if you just need a trusted person to turn to, reach out to Dean Margolis and the experienced team at Margolis Law Firm today.