Georgia Attorney Reveals Truth behind Workers’ Compensation Claims
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could get truthful answers from a lawyer? Today, you can.
We’re peeling back the curtain and asking Atlanta workers’ compensation attorney Rick J. DeMedeiros to give us answers to people’s most common questions.
It’s no secret that lawyers are the least trusted professionals in America. In fact, lawyers tend to appear at the bottom of people’s trustworthiness scale.
Have you ever heard this joke?
A man went to a lawyer and asked what his fee was. “$100 for three questions,” answered the lawyer. “Isn’t that a little steep?” asked the man. “Yes,” said the lawyer. “Now, what’s your third question?”
Jokes like this one are prevalent because of the culture’s distrust of attorneys and what many believe is the inability to answer questions openly.
In a Gallup poll, only 4% of respondents rated the “honesty and ethical standards” of lawyers as “very high.” In that same poll, more than one-third (34%) rated attorneys’ honesty and ethical standards as low (25%) or very low (9%).
Ouch. Those numbers hurt.
But we get it. There are some not-so-ethical lawyers who have given the rest a bad reputation.
In an effort to show that not all lawyers are out for themselves or money, we asked attorney Rick J. DeMedeiros to give us the truth regarding workers’ compensation.
Read this Q&A with him to discover the answers to some of the most common questions he gets asked.
If you were injured on the job, what’s the first thing you would do?
Great question and one I wish more people would think to ask.
The very first thing I would do is report the accident to my immediate supervisor (both verbally and in writing) and request medical treatment.
I would be sure to email and/or text my supervisor so that there is written proof (aka a paper trail) that I reported the accident and requested medical treatment immediately.
Watch What Are the Magic Words?
What’s the one mistake you see injured workers make over and over that hurts their chance of getting maximum compensation?
The one mistake I see injured workers make repeatedly is ignoring the accident and hoping that the injuries and pain will just go away.
New clients call my office all the time saying they were injured weeks or months ago and were just hoping the pain would resolve itself.
But at that point, the injured worker is so far up the creek that we may not be able to help them.
By this time, they may have signed something detrimental to their case, were fired for poor performance and are working somewhere else, or a host of other factors that can make the claim much more difficult to prove and pursue.
How much of a difference does hiring a workers’ comp attorney really make?
It makes all the difference in the world!
Many people don’t know that they get to pick their treating doctors from the employer’s panel of physicians.
They think, “Gosh, my boss is so helpful that he just sent me to a doctor.”
Absolutely not!
Employers are hoping you don’t realize that you get to pick, and they are sending you to a doctor who will say, “You’re just fine – go back to work full duty.”
A workers’ comp lawyer will tell you your rights and will help you choose the best doctor for YOU – not the best doctor for your employer.
Another example is when it comes time to settle.
Your lawyer will advise you of the true value of your case.
Some injured workers think their case is worth a million dollars, when it’s not, and others will think their case is worth only $1,000 when it’s actually worth much more.
Your lawyer will not only advise you of the real-world value of your case, but they will also handle negotiating the case on your behalf.
What’s the craziest case you’ve ever had?
This doesn’t really qualify as “craziest,” but it does show the lengths we sometimes have to go to help our clients.
I once had a case where my client fell from a roof and was badly injured. Frustratingly, the employer claimed it didn’t happen on his construction job and would not respond to our requests to depose him.
To make a very long story short, we simply issued the deposition for his home one evening at dinnertime and showed up.
He was a no-show, but he knew we were there because his wife had alerted him.
As we all stood there in his living room, he finally relented and gave us the admission we needed over the phone.
Once opposing counsel heard the admission, the case was picked up and accepted by the insurance company.
Considering how insurance companies bully injured workers, can someone successfully handle their workers’ comp claim on their own?
No, they cannot.
Examples are plentiful, but from the very beginning, an injured worker will not know which doctors are fair and which are not, but the insurance adjuster does.
An injured worker will not get copies of his medical notes, but the insurance adjuster will know.
An injured worker will not know how their income benefits are calculated and will not know if it was done per the law, but an insurance adjuster will know.
An injured worker will not know the real value of their case, but an insurance adjuster will know.
See a pattern here?
If an insurance adjuster has all the knowledge, they will use it against you – always.
Here’s the thing. Many people mistakenly believe insurance companies want to help them. Wrong.
Insurance companies prioritize profits over people. If they can get you back to work sooner without having to spend much on medical care, even if that is not right or just, that’s what they are going to do.
Workers’ compensation lawyers know this, so they will make sure you are not taken advantage of by the insurance company.
[Related Read: 12 Ways a Workers’ Comp Lawyer Will Alleviate the Stress]
After someone hires you for their case, what’s the one mistake people make in dealing with you?
The number one mistake people make in dealing with me is lying to me.
This recently happened in one of my cases. I can’t go into details, but I repeatedly discussed an issue with a client, and it turned out he had lied to me multiple times, and those lies trickled down and affected other parts of the case.
As soon as I learned that he had lied to me, I withdrew from his case immediately.
I have a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to lies. If you lie to me, goodbye.
Watch Stop Doing THIS to Your Lawyer!
Why did you become a workers’ comp attorney?
I became a workers’ comp attorney because I saw that there is a huge disparity between the working class and their employers’ insurance companies.
Too often, insurance companies and employers bully injured workers into not filing claims and seeking help.
It’s important that workers know that they have rights and that they must have someone in their corner protecting them.
Here’s a question to ask your employer or insurance adjuster the next time they tell you that you don’t need a lawyer: “Do you have lawyers working for you? [Hint: The answer is always YES.]”
Then, so should you.
Learn more about Atlanta workers’ compensation attorney Rick J. DeMedeiros.
If you’ve been injured on the job, contact us today for a free, no-strings-attached consultation.
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