It’s no secret that many employers throughout the country tend to greet workers’ compensation claims with some degree of skepticism, and in many cases the injured worker will have to go to great lengths to prove that they are being truthful. Your employer may even hire someone to investigate the situation.
As an injured worker who is legitimately owed compensation, you have the right to be aware of your employer’s investigation and deploy your own countermeasures. Having a reliable workplace injury lawyer on your side can help in situations like these, but it’s also key to understand what these investigators do and how they do it. Here are a few things that all injured workers in Georgia should know about workers’ comp investigators:
They Will Track Your Online Presence
It wasn’t always the case, but many people’s online activities now offer informative looks at their actual lives. Workers’ compensation investigators know this and will very likely begin monitoring your social media once they’re enlisted to track you.
Honest claimants should not have to worry about this, but there have been cases of people who put in for workers’ comp and then posted pictures or videos of themselves online engaging in rigorous physical activity like skiing or swimming. Because this has the potential to hurt your case, many personal injury attorneys tend to advise clients not to post any content online that could be used or spun by their company’s lawyers in court.
They Will Likely Record You
One of the most common techniques used by workers’ compensation investigators on injured employees is photographing or recording them on their time off. They may follow you to and from your doctor’s office to make sure that you’re getting the treatments that you say you are, or simply watch you go about your day to see how your injury is affecting your life.
There have been reported instances of investigators wearing hats and sunglasses for discretion, or changing clothes midday to avoid being recognised again. There may also be more than one person investigating you, making it even more difficult and confusing to keep track of. Even if you’ve been surveilled unknowingly, any incriminating evidence that the investigator manages to gather can usually be used against you in court.
You Can Counter Their Investigation
In some cases, injured workers have hired their own private investigators to determine if they were being spied on by their employer. Often, professional surveillance techniques can help reveal if someone is following you to and from the doctor, photographing you at home, or speaking with your friends and neighbors to try and learn more about you. They can also inspect your electronic devices for spyware, which is a common surveillance resource used by workers’ comp investigators. If you have a legitimate workers’ compensation claim and are being monitored, taking countermeasures can prevent your employer from wrongly escaping liability.
Contact The Law Offices of Darwin F. Johnson today to learn more about workers’ rights and personal injury law in Atlanta.
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