Injured Mobile offshore workers: demand to see your own doctor

If you’re a seaman from Mobile and the Gulf Coast of Alabama who was hurt on the job, the Jones Act gives you the right to request your own doctor.

Because you get one choice of physician, make it a wise choice.

Now, your employer’s insurance company is likely to recommend a doctor from their own list. But how do you know how objective the corporation physician is? Will that doctor truly look out for your best interests or the company’s?

Company doctors generally use two strategies: 1) If your injury is serious—but not too serious—they will “clear” you to return to work, even if the injury may be re-aggravated; and 2) if your injury is serious to the point of disabling, they may resort to trying to get you to incriminate yourself to support their opinion that your injury was not work-related. For example, they will attempt to paint your back injury as a pre-existing condition.

Be honest in answering the examining physician’s questions. If you’ve had previous claims or injuries, reveal them. However, if you have not had past claims and injuries or you are not sure, say that you don’t recall or you are not sure; do not just say “no.” Otherwise, if the insurance investigators discover a past injury that you claimed did not happen—even if you simply forgot about it—you will portrayed as a liar in court.

So, be careful how you answer the doctor’s questions.