Stewart Law Offices launches first-days workers’ comp guide

Stewart Law Offices has unveiled the Work Injury Notice Standard, a step-by-step process for injured workers in South Carolina and beyond to follow in the first days after a job injury. Founder Brent Stewart says the approach is meant to help employees protect claims before deadlines, medical decisions and early insurance calls weaken their cases.

Why it matters: - The first days after a workplace injury can shape whether a South Carolina workers’ compensation claim succeeds. - Stewart Law Offices says injured workers often lose time and proof because they assume an employer or insurer is handling the case. - The standard focuses on the steps that can affect notice deadlines, medical treatment and the evidence needed to recover benefits.

What happened: - Stewart Law Offices unveiled the Work Injury Notice Standard for injured employees in the opening days after an on-the-job accident. - Brent Stewart, the firm’s founder and a workers’ compensation attorney, launched his first Rock Hill, South Carolina, office in 1995. - Stewart discussed the standard in a new appearance on The Freight Coach podcast with host Chris Jolly. - The episode focused on what carriers do once a claim reaches them. - Stewart Law Offices serves injured workers and accident victims from offices across South Carolina and Charlotte, North Carolina.

The details: - The Work Injury Notice Standard starts with notice to the employer. - South Carolina gives workers 90 days to provide notice, and Stewart said missing that deadline can cost a claim if the delay prejudices the employer. - Stewart said the employer has the right to investigate the claim. - Stewart said the employer has the right to choose the treating doctor. - The second step in the standard is medical care through the employer-directed process. - The third step is preserving the record. - Stewart said insurance adjusters are trained interviewers, and an early phone call can be used later to suggest the injury was minor. - Stewart said workers’ compensation claims do not turn on negligence. - Stewart said punitive damages are not available in a workers’ compensation case. - Stewart said pain and suffering are outside a workers’ compensation claim. - Stewart said a spouse’s claim for loss of services is also outside a workers’ compensation claim. - Stewart said workers’ compensation focuses instead on medical bills, lost earnings and the ability to return to work. - Stewart said a worker must prove the claim, while the injured party can remain silent. - Stewart said a timely report, treatment inside the system and a clean record help build the proof needed later. - Stewart is licensed in South Carolina, West Virginia and multiple federal courts. - Stewart began his legal career at Bordas, Bordas and Jividen in Wheeling, West Virginia. - Stewart holds an AV Preeminent rating from Martindale-Hubbell based on peer review of legal ability and ethical standards. - Stewart Law Offices lists a principal office at 1242 Ebenezer Road in Rock Hill, South Carolina. - The firm reports case results of $3,500,000 in a tractor-trailer accident case, $1,578,210 in a motorcycle accident case and $833,333 in a medical malpractice case. - Stewart Law Offices works on a contingency fee basis. - The firm says injured workers can read more about the Work Injury Notice Standard and request a free consultation at the firm’s website.

Between the lines: - The release is as much about claim discipline as it is about legal education. - Stewart is targeting a common mistake in freight and trucking cases: workers waiting too long because they believe the employer will take over the process. - The message also reflects a broader theme in workers’ compensation law: early documentation can matter as much as the injury itself. - The firm’s education push appears aimed at workers who delay calling a lawyer until paperwork and deadlines have already become problems.

What's next: - Stewart Law Offices says it is expanding education efforts for injured workers in the Carolinas. - The firm is directing workers to its website for more information and a free consultation. - Stewart’s podcast appearance suggests the firm will keep using media to explain the claim process and its first-days strategy.

The bottom line: - Stewart Law Offices wants injured workers to act fast, document early and treat the claim like evidence from day one.