While the following story is a month old and though it didn't happen here in Denver -- let alone the state of Colorado -- it is still an important story that teaches us a few lessons.
A masonry laborer was working on a construction site in 2010. While he was on a ladder, a 300-pound tub (similar in appearance to a bathtub) that was being held by a forklift fell onto him. The tub was somewhere between 15 and 20 feet in the air when it feel. The masonry laborer was struck by the heavy object and suffered injuries to his neck, shoulders and upper torso. However, he managed to return to work for the next week.
Soon after he returned to work, though, the masonry laborer found the pain too much to bear, he stopped working and required numerous surgeries to fix the injuries he suffered as a result of the incident. He since sued the contractors of the construction site, and recently won a $4.9 million lawsuit.
While it's great that the person earned needed compensation (given the extensive medical costs he racked up and the wages he lost out on), there is an important detail in this story: the attorney for the contractor of the construction site argued that the masonry laborer didn't deserve compensation because he immediately returned to work after the accident. They unsuccessfully argued that his injuries could have been a result of something else.
Though that seems like a ridiculous argument, the fact that the worker returned to work without getting a medical professional to check on him can result in an individual losing out on vital compensation should they file a civil lawsuit. Always get medical care immediately after a workplace accident, and then consult with an attorney after that to make sure you are going about the process properly.
Source: The Buffalo News, "Olean laborer awarded nearly $5 million for workplace injury," Sept. 29, 2015
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