Injured workers are treated like cars in an accident, written off or patched up by dodgy insurance companies

I have so many examples of injustice in these systems, says B, an injured worker. ” As I sit here and wait for the next stabbing pain, I thank you so much for this site and for the courage of all the victims. One day maybe we can get better treatment but that only comes if more people know about how bad it is….”

Injured workers are treated like cars in an accident, written off or patched up by dodgy insurance companies

There are so many things wrong with this system and I feel  quite humble when I read about the injuries you guys have, at least I can still use my hands.

I think the media needs to know some of the background of why we have this system.

Originally workers could only sue under common law for their injuries. Even though it was more difficult to succeed, workers were being given huge payouts by the courts, so employers opted for a no fault system where they would accept liability in exchange for lower payouts.

And guess what has happened, yes they are now trying to reduce compensation for workers even more by restricting access to common law and tampering with benefits.

This is the basis for the injustice we are receiving.

What has been forgotten in all of this is the undeniable FACT, employers have accepted liability for our injuries and should be held accountable for how they fix us up and that includes their agents (the insurance companies).

There definitely also needs to be a clarification of the roles and responsibility of doctors employed by the insurance companies.

Injured workers true example

The insurance doctor who examined me (I called him Dr Freeze) wrote that even though my [leg] was untreatable unless I had a [joint] replacement which I refused as my specialist said I was too young and the gym could help me stave it off until I was older (they can’t force you to have an operation).

He stated that I could be employed doing simple tasks. There was no mention of how I would get to the employment and no acknowledgment that the legislation states that they are not to give us jobs that are way below our abilities.

But the main problem was the fact that I had no legal recourse against this doctor. As I tried to explain to the case manager, this doctor was not my specialist (who had already performed several operations on me), if I followed his advice and got injured again, I had no legal recourse against him.

Of course the insurance company does not pay for me to go to the gym, I pay that and it is the only thing that has helped me. So what are the responsibilities of these doctors?????

Thank you B for sharing your story and your thoughts and for allowing us to publish them!

Shortlink: http://aworkcovervictimsdiary.com/?p=7501