Most workers in Florida find comfort in knowing that their employers carry insurance to cover them in the event of workplace injuries. However, workplace injury victims are disappointed by how the state-regulated workers’ compensation system deals with their injuries. In one such a case, a severely traumatized worker claims the insurance provider deemed him fit to return to work without sending him for the necessary tests.
In Florida, injured workers cannot go to their own physicians because their employers get to choose the doctors. In Sept. 2017, the man was close by when an explosion rocked his workplace. Chemicals and fire cause serious burn injuries, and the worker was rushed to a burn unit of a Tampa hospital. Along with the burn injuries, he suffered injuries to his back and hip, hearing loss, and a concussion.
Furthermore, the worker was left with post-traumatic stress disorder, and although the company’s chosen doctor recommended tests for traumatic brain injury, the insurance provider refused to have those done. Instead, it issued an order for the worker to go back to work, claiming he had reached maximum recovery. However, the worker questions how this can be determined without having the necessary tests done in the first place.
Workers in Florida are entitled to receive the necessary tests done to determine the scope of their injuries. When they are denied fair treatment and compensation, they can discuss the issues with an experienced workers’ compensation attorney. After assessing the circumstances, the lawyer can explain the injured worker’s rights and available steps to take. With the support and guidance of legal counsel throughout ensuing administrative and legal proceedings, the worker might get the benefits to which he or she is entitled.