“I’ve Been Assaulted at Work in Kansas City, MO – Now What?”

If you have been assaulted by a coworker, supervisor, or even a customer at work, you need to know how to react to protect yourself and protect your rights.

Let’s discuss the steps you need to take immediately after you’ve been assaulted at work.

1. Report Your Assault To The Police

Assault is a crime. If you have been assaulted, do not hesitate to report it to the police. Whether you were pushed by a coworker, punched by a customer, or attacked and assaulted in any other way, you or another individual at your workplace needs to report the crime to the police immediately so that they can arrest the perpetrator.

If you can, you should provide the police with all relevant information about the attacker, what happened, and other such details. The police will take a report and pursue the assailant to bring them to justice.

2. Get Medical Help Right Away

Being assaulted can result in bruises, broken bones, head trauma, cuts, lacerations, internal organ damage, and other injuries depending on the method and severity of the assault. Get medical attention for your injuries right away.

Not only does this protect your health and well-being, but it helps establish a “paper trail” that will be helpful if your employer or their insurance company challenges your workers’ comp claim. 

3. Understand What Situations Are Covered By Workers’ Compensation

There are some situations where it may be more difficult to recover workers’ compensation for an assault. To be covered by workers’ compensation, the attack must have:

• Occurred on the job or at the place of employment. 
• It happened while you were performing job duties.
• Arisen “in the course and scope of employment.” In other words, the assault generally cannot have happened for merely personal reasons.

For example, if you are a manager at an electronics store, you visit the bank to deposit money as part of your job duties, and you are assaulted by a bank robber, the court may find that you are entitled to compensation. However, if you were visiting the bank for personal reasons, you would generally not be allowed to collect workers’ compensation. 

If your case is complex, this is an even greater reason to speak with an experienced attorney. 

4. Report Your Work Injury & File For Workers’ Compensation

If you are assaulted at work, you generally qualify for workers’ compensation. Follow standard procedure at your company, report your work injury right away, and then file for workers’ compensation. 

As with any work injury, being assaulted at work generally entitles you to compensation for medical bills, wage replacement for time off, and financial compensation for any short-term or permanent disabilities resulting from the attack.

Contact The Law Firm Of James M. Hoffman

As work injury lawyers in Kansas City and Missouri, the team at The Law Firm Of James M. Hoffman can help you pursue the full compensation you deserve after you’ve been assaulted on the job.