Q: What advice can you give to an injured trucker who is about to go see a doctor?
Tony Brock: When the injured trucker goes to see a doctor, the driver must explain in detail how the accident happened, and list all injuries caused by that accident. It is best to start with the top of the head and identify every body part that hurts going down all the way to the toes.
Q: Do injured truckers get to choose their own doctors?
Tony Brock: In Nebraska, if an injured truck driver has a family doctor, then that truck driver can choose that family doctor to be his primary treating physician. The workers’ compensation carrier must pay the medical expenses of that primary treating physician as well as the medical expenses incurred from other specialists to whom that primary doctor refers the injured truck driver.
If the injured truck driver does not have a family doctor, then the workers’ compensation adjuster gets to choose the treating physician, and that will almost always be bad for the injured truck driver. In some cases, however, experienced lawyers can combat that situation as well.
The number one reason injured workers hire lawyers is getting the workers’ compensation insurance company to provide adequate, competent medical care for their injuries. Trucking companies that operate nationwide….