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If you work in Pennsylvania and are injured in an on-the-job accident, you can seek compensation for such losses as your medical bills by filing a claim to recover workers’ compensation benefits. The vast majority of employers in Pennsylvania are required to purchase workers’ compensation insurance. This allows injured employees to theoretically recover compensation after work-related accidents with ease.

The key word in that sentence is “theoretically.” Employers often don’t want employees to receive the compensation they are requesting because this can result in higher insurance premiums. Insurance companies also tend to seek reasons to deny claims or offer low settlements for one simple fact: they are businesses, and no business has the goal of losing money when doing so can be avoided.

One of the best ways to optimize your chances of recovering proper compensation after a work-related accident is to enlist the help of a skilled attorney. You need legal representation from someone who understands how insurers attempt to protect themselves financially.

Additionally, while your case is still pending, it’s important to avoid engaging in certain behaviors or taking certain actions that can give an insurance company justification to deny your claim. Examples of mistakes to avoid making include:

Posting on Social Media

Do your best to limit your usage of social media after filing a claim to collect workers’ compensation benefits. Insurers in the digital age often monitor the social media presence of claimants to look for posts that can be used against them.

For example, maybe you post an old picture of yourself playing sports or engaging in some other form of physical activity that you shouldn’t be able to participate in based on your injuries. An insurer might argue this is evidence that your injuries are not as severe as you say they are.

You might know the picture is from before your accident, but that doesn’t matter. Unless you can prove this to an insurer, that post could damage your claim.

Talking About Your Accident

Don’t make the mistake of talking too openly about your accident before your case has been finally resolved. Although you might think that simply discussing the incident with friends and family is harmless, you need to avoid making any statements that could indicate you don’t deserve the amount of compensation you’re seeking. If these statements somehow get back to an insurer, recovering the compensation for which you are eligible may be more difficult.

Lying to Your Attorney

This is an extremely important point. Some claimants believe they can lie to or conceal information from their attorneys in an effort to improve their odds of recovering all the compensation they feel they deserve.

Your attorney’s job is to be on your side. However, they can only provide you with the effective representation you need if you are willing to be entirely honest with them.

At Gross & Kenny, LLP, or Philadelphia workers’ compensation lawyers are dedicated to ensuring our clients receive fair and aggressive representation. Providing this representation is easier when these mistakes are avoided. Learn more about what we can do for you by contacting us online or calling our offices at 215-512-1500.