If you are injured on the job, you want to be cared for at a hospital close to home. However, if you are a truck driver involved in an accident, your primary care will come in a hospital near where the accident occurred. No one wants to be alone, away from loved ones and the doctors they trust when in the hospital, but this is an unfortunate reality for some truck drivers.
How do you handle this situation? You can still seek compensation for injuries, but interstate law could bring a few twists and turns to your case. By knowing this information before you’re involved in an accident, you can be best prepared to handle it if it does happen.
The first call
If you are injured, you may be unable to speak with authorities at the scene to tell your side of the story or obtain the paperwork. When you are able to make a phone call, you will probably think to call a loved one first, then your employer second. You might think your duty is done at this point because your employer has started the process.
However, there’s a third call you should make – to a workers’ compensation attorney. As they say, the third time is the charm and a workers’ compensation attorney will ensure that you are cared for when injured out of state.
Why call an attorney?
Your employer will start the process to make sure their costs are covered concerning liability and asset loss. However, it is on you to ensure that your workers’ compensation claim is handled correctly. While your employer may wonder what your accident means for the company as a whole, you need to focus on how to recover from your injury and return to work.
To hold a person or company accountable away from home, you need to file a lawsuit in the state that has jurisdiction over them. If you return home without seeking help from an attorney first, you might again find yourself away from the help you need. Your employer may not understand this rule or have the resources to point you in the right direction, but a workers’ compensation does.
Just because your employer is not focused on your immediate needs doesn’t mean they have it out for you, their motivation is just different. They are driven by money while you are focused on recovery. You can’t put a price tag on restoring normalcy in your life after an accident, and that’s why you should call an attorney who is motivated to help you as soon as possible.