"Can we just get your recorded statement now?" That is the question coming next, and your answer matters because the insurer can use it to limit workers' comp, shift blame to weather or your driving on I-80, or argue your injury was preexisting.

What should have happened first: if you were hurt on the job near Green River, your employer should have directed you into Wyoming workers' compensation, not told you to use your own health insurance. In Wyoming, you generally must report the injury to your employer within 72 hours after the injury becomes apparent and file the injury report within 10 days with the employer and the proper office handling the claim. The claim goes through the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Workers' Compensation Division.

If your boss is pressuring you not to file, that is the moment you usually do need a lawyer. Same if the adjuster wants a recorded statement, a blanket medical release, or keeps asking about old shoulder, back, or head injuries after a crash, fall, battery explosion burn, or site accident.

What to do now: do not give a recorded statement just because the adjuster says it is "routine." Do not sign broad medical authorizations. Get a copy of the incident report, take photos, save texts from your boss, and write down exactly how the injury happened, including weather and road conditions if storm debris, hydroplaning, or black ice played a role.

When you call a lawyer, ask three things fast: whether they handle Wyoming workers' comp, whether the fee is contingency for any third-party injury claim, and who will actually return your calls. A common contingency fee is often around one-third of a recovery in a personal injury case; workers' comp fee approval can work differently.

What comes next: a good lawyer will tell you whether you need only a workers' comp claim, a separate third-party case, or both. Red flags are guarantees, pressure to settle before treatment is clear, or a lawyer who will not explain fees in writing. If you already hired one and they are stalling, you can fire them mid-case, but do it before recorded statements, settlement papers, or claim deadlines are missed.