As a service to my co-workers, I offer this advice to you while employed at ConWay. I do not know the various state laws concerning workmens compensation, but I do know they are all very similar. I offer this advice based on my own serious injury which I incurred nearly 8 years ago which now is more then likely going to end my trucking ambitions. Many years ago I was struck by a pallet of freight which weighed nearly 700 pounds. This pallet was tall and smashed me at the hands of an FOS to the trailer wall. The immediate injury that evening didnt indicate what would happen to me the next day and several times a year to this date. As a result of this injury, I now suffer degenerative disc disease of my L4/L5 disc. Along with complications of the cervical spine. In anycase, what happened then has resulted in my being incompacitated to perform my duties whether it be driving or dock work as mandated by Conway and its environment.
To protect yourself in any injury with this company. You must file a notification of injury. The silly injury report Conway gives you is not the legal requirement to initiate a case. You must serve official notice to the employer AND the state workmens comp commission to facilitate this. When you fill out the employer first notification of injury (the injury report you fill out at work), you may or may not know whether this injury will be persistant or not. If you do not seek medical attention which sort of officiates the injury, like our TM, they probably just toss the injury report in the trash after a very short amount of time.
When you do go see the doctor. Try and obtain all copies of the doctors report itself. The little notes the doc writes is very important. Conway will lose your medical records over the course of time. They did mine either through direct intervention or accidental. None the less, there is no legal requirement here in my state for them to keep the records for any length of time. Their excuse was the doctors practice was bought out, moved and they just simply cannot locate the records. Convenient? A search of the state workmens comp commission revealed the most bare minimum of information, the basic same return to work papers I received to come back to work at the time of the injury.
Do not under any circumstances blow an injury off. Especially a structural type (bone, connecting tissue, etc). These will more then likely return to haunt you in the future.
Obtain the services of a lawyer. Workmens comp lawyers work differently then injury lawyers in both compensation and state regulated requirements. Conway will in most instances not pay you what you are entitled to. Another I did not learn until nearly 8 years from injury. A lawyer without regards to what your particular state advises, will protect your rights. Remember, we are a self insured company and contract with the likes of out here Travelers, to administer our insurance. They get paid and contracted based on performance. Performance meaning cost containment for the company. This is in no way to be confused with your benefits. The more they pay you, the least they look good for their contracting employer.
Workmens comp is an often time abused program. It is the cause for the problems we all encounter while trying to obtain our benefits under it. You have the right to be either repaired, compensated or both. Most states have removed whether the injury was your fault or not. Some states are more employee orientated then others. Bottom line is, if you are injured at Conway, YOU and only YOU can protect yourself, Conway will not do this.
On a final note, most states allow a secondary opinion, use this. Preferably use a doctor recommended by your attorny. They know who is credible and who is not. Credible being more opt to fix what is broken. This is especially important in any orthorpedic type injury.
To sum it up. Get a lawyer. Keep all copies. File official state mandated notice of injury to employer and state commission. Do not try and ride injury out. Do not take Conways advice. Remember, Conway is against you. They are not your workmens comp buddies. Their view and position is simply cost containment.
Be safe.
To protect yourself in any injury with this company. You must file a notification of injury. The silly injury report Conway gives you is not the legal requirement to initiate a case. You must serve official notice to the employer AND the state workmens comp commission to facilitate this. When you fill out the employer first notification of injury (the injury report you fill out at work), you may or may not know whether this injury will be persistant or not. If you do not seek medical attention which sort of officiates the injury, like our TM, they probably just toss the injury report in the trash after a very short amount of time.
When you do go see the doctor. Try and obtain all copies of the doctors report itself. The little notes the doc writes is very important. Conway will lose your medical records over the course of time. They did mine either through direct intervention or accidental. None the less, there is no legal requirement here in my state for them to keep the records for any length of time. Their excuse was the doctors practice was bought out, moved and they just simply cannot locate the records. Convenient? A search of the state workmens comp commission revealed the most bare minimum of information, the basic same return to work papers I received to come back to work at the time of the injury.
Do not under any circumstances blow an injury off. Especially a structural type (bone, connecting tissue, etc). These will more then likely return to haunt you in the future.
Obtain the services of a lawyer. Workmens comp lawyers work differently then injury lawyers in both compensation and state regulated requirements. Conway will in most instances not pay you what you are entitled to. Another I did not learn until nearly 8 years from injury. A lawyer without regards to what your particular state advises, will protect your rights. Remember, we are a self insured company and contract with the likes of out here Travelers, to administer our insurance. They get paid and contracted based on performance. Performance meaning cost containment for the company. This is in no way to be confused with your benefits. The more they pay you, the least they look good for their contracting employer.
Workmens comp is an often time abused program. It is the cause for the problems we all encounter while trying to obtain our benefits under it. You have the right to be either repaired, compensated or both. Most states have removed whether the injury was your fault or not. Some states are more employee orientated then others. Bottom line is, if you are injured at Conway, YOU and only YOU can protect yourself, Conway will not do this.
On a final note, most states allow a secondary opinion, use this. Preferably use a doctor recommended by your attorny. They know who is credible and who is not. Credible being more opt to fix what is broken. This is especially important in any orthorpedic type injury.
To sum it up. Get a lawyer. Keep all copies. File official state mandated notice of injury to employer and state commission. Do not try and ride injury out. Do not take Conways advice. Remember, Conway is against you. They are not your workmens comp buddies. Their view and position is simply cost containment.
Be safe.
