Hurt on the Job?!
Question: I got hurt on the job when a co-worker run over my right ankle with a big rolling ladder. I went to the ER and it is ok now. Two days latter my left knee started hurting and I can not put any weight on it at all. I went to the ER and they just gave me a pain shot and said stay off it. The next day I went to an afterhours clinic. They gave me a coristone and pain shot and said stay off it and go to an ortho. Then next day I went to an ortho he said it might be a torn ligament and may need surgery. Two days later he did an MRI on my knee. I am still off work (he gave me a two week excuse) I think this knee injury is due to my ankle injury since I jerked away from the ladder. I am covered under FMLA so they can not fire or replace me., but I worry that I will end up having to sue them for my injuries since i didn't report the knee at the same time.I reported it when I went to the ortho dr. Have any of you had similar injuries at work /
Answers: I got hurt on the job when a co-worker run over my right ankle with a big rolling ladder. I went to the ER and it is ok now. Two days latter my left knee started hurting and I can not put any weight on it at all. I went to the ER and they just gave me a pain shot and said stay off it. The next day I went to an afterhours clinic. They gave me a coristone and pain shot and said stay off it and go to an ortho. Then next day I went to an ortho he said it might be a torn ligament and may need surgery. Two days later he did an MRI on my knee. I am still off work (he gave me a two week excuse) I think this knee injury is due to my ankle injury since I jerked away from the ladder. I am covered under FMLA so they can not fire or replace me., but I worry that I will end up having to sue them for my injuries since i didn't report the knee at the same time.I reported it when I went to the ortho dr. Have any of you had similar injuries at work /
First of all, you should be covered under workers' comp as far as the injury goes, not FMLA. If you have not returned to work since the first injury, then the flow is correct for it to be considered related to the on-the-job incident. What you need to do is have the doctor verify that one injury is related to the other and have them start billing it under workers' comp. If you wait to make the claim, then yes, you will have big problems and may have to sue. Get it started now. Talk to a rep with the workers' comp policy and explain what is happening.
Depending on what state you live in workers comp laws are different , I would report it immediately to your company HR department and fill out an injury report and also have them get a statement from the co worker who ran over you. No reason for you to get stuck with not having your medical paid for and lost time from work from no fault of your own . Good Luck !!