If you are in pain after an accident, you should seek medical treatment.

When someone calls who has been in a motor vehicle accident, a question I get asked a lot is, "Should I get medical treatment?" The answer I usually gives is that a person should if they are in pain. What kind of treatment? How long of a duration should an injury victim received treatment? Those are trickier questions.

Typically, when you are in a car accident, an ambulance will be called to the scene. If you are in pain, you should get medical treatment and go to the hospital by ambulance. The reasons are two-fold. First, because of the shock and adrenaline rush you experience following an accident, your body may not be telling you exactly what it needs to at that moment as to the extent of your injuries. By the time you get to the hospital, the adrenaline will have worn off and you may begin to notice pain that simply was not present at the scene. Secondly, getting medical treatment by going to the emergency room on the day of the accident documents your injuries. The longer gap of time between when you are in a collision and when you first receive medical treatment, the less likely an insurance company will consider your injuries related to the collision.

Following your emergency room visit, if you are still experiencing symptoms, you should make an appointment with your primary care physician. Depending on the nature of your injuries, your doctor may prescribe physical therapy or could send you to see a specialist. Diagnostic studies such as an MRI or CT-scan could be ordered because they show injuries an x-ray simply cannot reveal. As you recover from your injuries, the most important thing to remember is follow your doctor's orders. Do not miss appointments. If you are in physical therapy, do not cancel or skip appointments. Once you are better or when your doctor says you are at maximum medical improvement (i.e. as good as you will get medically), you can cease getting medical treatment.

Attorney Jay Johnson is honored to be presenting at the Illinois Education Assocation's 2021 Summer Leadership Academy "Facing the Future Together".

Jay will be presenting "Workers' Compensation for Injured School Employees" in virtual format on Tuesday, July 27th at 11am.

Asistió a un examen médico independiente, o IME, pedido por su empleador, y el reporte está listo. ¿Qué significan las conclusiones del médico en el reporte de IME para su caso de compensación para trabajadores? A continuación, encontrará algunas respuestas rápidas a preguntas comunes que tienen los empleados sobre cómo un reporte IME de puede afectar su caso de compensación para trabajadores.

El reporte del IME está listo y el médico no está de acuerdo con el médico que me trata. ¿Se acabó mi caso?

No. No es raro que un médico de IME no esté de acuerdo con su médico tratante sobre algun tema o problemas en cuestión. Esto puede deberse a que el médico de IME revisó diferentes recordes los médicos, sigue diferentes planes de tratamiento o simplemente no está de acuerdo con su médico tratante. Cuando hay opiniones diferentes entre su médico tratante y el médico de IME, entonces su caso se reduce a determinar qué opiniones de médico son más creíbles.

Proud Sponsors of the Spoon River Valley F. O. P. Lodge #427 1st Annual Golf Outing

Woodruff Johnson and Evans Law Office was honored to sponsor and participate in the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Spoon River Valley Lodge 427 1st Annual Golf Outing at the Wee-Ma-Tuk Golf Course in Cuba, Illinois. The golf outing was held on June 12, 2021.

Our firm has successfully represented law enforcement officers throughout the state of Illinois for over 30 years.

From Pickers, Packers to Forklift Operators: Warehouse Employees are Faced with a Wide Range of On-the-Job Hazards

Warehouse employees, such as pickers, packers, and forklift operators perform vital supply chain services that ensure goods and products are efficiently delivered to consumers. Due to increased demand in e-commerce and consumption, companies are expanding their production and storing capacity. This in turn creates an increased demand for warehouse workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of warehouse employees doubled from 645,200 in 2010 to 1.3 million in in 2020. By 2030, it is estimated that there will be 2 million warehouse employees. Unfortunately, this boom in warehouse hiring also has resulted in an increase in the total number of work injuries due to warehouse accidents.

Compared to the general workforce, warehouse workers are exposed to an increased risk of injury when performing their daily job duties. In 2019, the average rate of recorded injuries in the warehouse industry was 4.8 for every 100 full-time workers. In 2020, Amazon, the largest e-commerce retailer in the United States, reported 6.5 injuries for every 100 full-time workers, more than double the number of the entire workforce (2.8 injuries for every 100 full-time workers).

Warehouse employees are faced with a wide range of potential hazards that can cause severe injuries or fatalities. The most common hazards faced by warehouse workers are: