08-01-2010, 09:42 PM
I live in Michigan and was injured at work back in May. I am scheduled to come into work an hour later than the rest of my department. They were transferring by hand some product from one semi-trailer to another. Once I arrived I went to help them not knowing that they hadn't set the the dock plate leaving a gap between the dock and the trailer. My hands were full and obstructing my view. I waited for a fellow employee to come off the trailer before I tried to enter. I took one step and no dock plate between dock and trailer. I feel with one leg all the way up to my groin in the hole with my other leg extended behind me on the dock. They took me to the hospital however occupational health does not open until nine so the took me into the emergency room. They observed that I had abrasions on my left lateral thigh high near my hip, and on my medial left knee. They performed x-rays to ensure no breakage. They never cleaned my wounds or administered ice. They left me in the room over 2 hours until occupational health was opened when I was told to get dressed and go to occupational health. When I stood up and seen the amount of swelling on my left knee and lower left leg I asked the doctor what should be done about the swelling. He said administer Ice. Well I scolded him for not doing so the last couple hours. Then instead of putting me in a wheel chair I had to walk to occupational health where they only administered a drug and alcohol test and sent me back to work without any restrictions, inflammatory or pain management medications. I worked the remainder of the week which was 2 days, had the weekend off worked Monday and Tuesday morning one of the other department managers seen that I was having difficulty walking which had been evident since the injury. He asked me when my recheck was and I told him what was done at the hospital and that no recheck was scheduled. He instructed to go as soon as occupational health was opened. Once I arrived the doctor seemed shocked that I had not been put on restrictions or given any medications. He immediately did so. I went back for a recheck in 3 days and he wanted me back in early the following week and that if the swelling had not gone down in my knee and lower leg, ankles and foot that he was going to check me for a clot. The following I arrived for my appointment and the doctor sent me for a doppler to ensure that I wasn't experiencing a clot. Test came back negative so he began treating me for a secondary infection which was only an assumption because he never performed a CDC to ensure infection. The swelling finally subsided and after a month on restrictions I was taken off restrictions and returned to normal duties. Since that time I had been back to see him a week or two later because I was still experiencing pain mostly in my knee with discoloration and heat radiating from it, with pain in my thigh area which would wake me at night and some pain still in my ankle and foot. He said to give it another month and if I was still experiencing pain come back and see him which I did and he insisted that the swelling was almost gone and that was that. Mind you the only test which were ever performed were x-rays to make sure no bone breakage, and a doppler for clots. A week or so later my knee was bothering considerably in the evening and was still radiating heat. My wife and a nurse practitioner friend of hers urged me to go to the ER to be checked for infection or a clot in the area of my knee. The ER checked my leg and said probably not an infection but possibility of a clot. No one was on call that night who could perform a doppler yet they still gave me an injection of lovenox to begin treatment for a blood clot. I was released and ordered to make an appointment the next morning for a doppler and to get an MRI of the knee. I contacted work and they contacted occupational health who had to contact our self insured administrators to ok the test. A doppler was performed that day which was negative but no MRI was performed and I was given no further instructions.
Since I am still experiencing discoloration in the knee and heat radiating from it, as well as pain in the knee and thigh area should I contact and attorney?
Since I am still experiencing discoloration in the knee and heat radiating from it, as well as pain in the knee and thigh area should I contact and attorney?