For many, going to work is a safe place to be. You expect to put in your 8 hours, work hard, and go home to your family. For others, however, work is like going to school with bullies, and you may be living in constant fear of a co-worker who has assaulted you. If your co-worker assaulted you, you should not have to live with this on your own. For more information on what steps you can take after your co-worker has assaulted you, read below.
- Get To Safety. The first thing you need to do after an abusive encounter with a co-worker is to get to a safe place. Leave the situation as soon as possible and get to a public area where you know your co-worker will not attack you again. In this situation, revenge on your co-worker is not a good option and you should first take care of yourself.
- Get Medical Help. After getting to safety, you need to get medical help for your personal injuries. Check yourself for bruises, cuts, lacerations and any other type of damage after the assault. Because of shock and adrenaline, you may not feel the worst of your injuries and you may be unaware of internal damage. For these reasons, it is best to tell your manager you need to go to the hospital and get medical attention as soon as you can.
- Report the Attack. This means reporting it to your manager and reporting it to the police. Although your employer may not be on the hook for workers’ compensation regarding this attack, they have the right to know when one of their employees is assaulting people. Additionally, when filing a personal injury claim, you will likely need to report this incident to the police as quickly as possible. The sooner you file a report with the police, the sooner they can make sure this does not happen to you or someone else again.
- Gather Evidence. When you report an assault and file a personal injury claim, you want to ensure you have the proper evidence to back up your claim. This means any clothing you were wearing while it happened, doctor’s notes and reports, and security footage from the scene if your employer has cameras.
What Other Steps Should I Take?
Finally, one of the most important steps you can take after a co-worker has assaulted you at work is retaining a professional attorney who will get you the help you need when you file a claim. Tension and adrenaline may be running high after your injury, and an attorney will respect the situation you are in and present you with the best options when you file a claim. Don’t wait any longer to get the help you deserve after this assault. Contact an personal injury lawyer Harrisonburg, Virginia offers as soon as you can.
Thank you to our friends and contributors at MartinWren, P.C. for their insight into steps to take after being injured by a co-worker and personal injury claims.