When to Report Your Workplace Accident in Wildwood, NJ
Even though workers’ compensation laws are designed to ease the financial burden of injuries, many employees hesitate to file claims. They often fear for their jobs and hope to recover from minor injuries quickly. Some fear getting their co-workers in trouble or cannot afford to miss work. Eventually, employees suffering from debilitating workplace injuries might need to claim workers’ compensation benefits.
You have time to file workplace accident claims in New Jersey, but filing delays might impact your ability to recover compensation. If you need help reporting a job-site accident, contact an experienced Wildwood workers’ compensation lawyer to discuss your rights under New Jersey law.
Reporting Workplace Accidents in Wildwood
You should notify your employer immediately following a workplace accident to preserve potential workers’ comp claims. Requesting and filing an incident report does not mean you must file for workers’ comp benefits. It simply informs your employer that an accident occurred, and you may have suffered a qualifying injury. It also allows your supervisor to investigate the accident and, if necessary, preserve essential evidence to support your injury claims. New Jersey sets the following notice guidelines for workers’ comp claims.
Fourteen (14) Days
New Jersey law (NJ Rev. Stat. § 34:15-17) generally requires employees to notify their employers of a workplace accident within fourteen (14) days. However, you only need to do so if the employer does not have actual notice of the injury. If your supervisor witnessed the fall or a co-worker reported the accident while you were in the hospital, this satisfies the early notice requirement in Wildwood. Experienced workers’ compensation lawyers recommend following up with an email or incident report if the injury was not immediately apparent. However, this is unnecessary if the employer knows you were injured.
Thirty (30) Days
You might still obtain compensation if you report the accident within thirty days. However, Wildwood employers can challenge late reports under New Jersey law if the delay impacted their ability to investigate the accident. This might occur if you fail to report a slip-and-fall claim before removing the dangerous condition.
Ninety (90) Days
Some injuries worsen in the weeks following the accident. As such, employees have 90 days from the injury occurrence to report the accident, provided they have a reasonable excuse for failing to notify employers within the shorter timeframe. New Jersey law allows reporting up to 90 days after the accident if the employee’s failure to report was due to one of the following:
- Mistake
- Ignorance
- Inability
- Fraud
- Misrepresentation
- Inadvertence
- Other reasonable cause or excuse
Employers may challenge late reporting if the delay prohibited them from investigating the accident, but 90 days sets the absolute bar in New Jersey. You cannot obtain workers’ compensation benefits unless you report the accident and resulting injuries to your employer within 90 days.
Get Legal Help Filing Delayed Workers’ Compensation Accident Reports
You should report a workplace accident immediately, even if you haven’t filed a workers’ comp claim. This protects you if the pain eventually prevents you from working. Our dedicated workers’ compensation lawyers in Wildwood, NJ, can help you file accident reports within 90 days. We understand your rights in cases involving delayed-onset injuries and illnesses. To schedule your consultation, contact us online or by phone today.