In California, early documentation can make or break a claim—particularly when insurers argue the injury isn’t serious or that the mechanism “doesn’t match” the medical records.
Start with these priorities:
- Get medical care immediately (even if symptoms seem manageable at first). Crush injuries can reveal complications later—swelling, nerve issues, fractures, or soft-tissue damage.
- Tell doctors the full story of how the injury happened, using your best memory. Avoid guessing about causation; stick to what you know.
- Preserve incident details before they get lost: incident report number, supervisor names, equipment involved, and where the accident occurred (loading bay, parking area, service room, etc.).
- Save communications (texts, emails, adjuster calls, employer forms). If anyone asks you to sign something quickly, pause.
- Write down a timeline while it’s fresh: what you were doing, what you observed, and what changed right before the injury.
If you’re worried about getting everything together while you’re recovering, that’s exactly the kind of burden a lawyer can take off your plate.


