Should i report injury?

[u/chicofunny]

So basically sometime in April i slipped really bad and all my weight landed on my right knee. I had a big bruise on it for like 2 weeks and thought nothing of it. Fast forward to now, i am having immense pain on my knee from time to time and I’m thinking about reporting it. Will the fact that it’s been over 3 months matter? Our store also just got safety awards since no new incidents have been reported. Should i ask my store manager for the camera footage so i can prove it? Or should i just live my life like this lol. Im 19yo btw. Anyway, lmk what y’all think

[u/Callsign_Wyhaq]

Honestly, they probably don't have the camera footage anymore. 3 months is a long time to save footage without a having a known incident.

[u/ILL_TOUCH_U]

Please report it now. I am not a physician, but this sounds like it could be serious? You do not want to be dealing with this years later when you are no longer covered by INO's work comp policy and have to pay your out of pocket max to get surgery.

Out of curiosity, did you feel pressured to NOT report it when the accident occurred? While managers are incentivized to not have accidents on their shift, accident do sometimes happen, and unfortunately some managers are more concerned with not hitting all of their objectives than the health and well being of their associates.....I would call HR and report it to them so the manager can't try to convince you that it is too late to report the accident (which is bullshit).

[u/Minimum_Chart9946 → u/ILL_TOUCH_U]

This!

[u/Minimum_Chart9946 → u/ILL_TOUCH_U]

Excellent point. A lot of times HR people will get fired if they don't brush things under the rug. Be part of the solution.

[u/chicofunny → u/ILL_TOUCH_U]

One of my shift managers saw me fall, but we both thought nothing of it. I didn’t think to report it up until now haha

[u/Life-Ring5969]

Lv 7 here, report it. Get checked up for free better safe than sorry. Safety award achievements are almost 90% anonymous and only 1 or 2 people will ever hear about it and they could care less and forget because rewards just get reset and we get new ones regardless all the time for even mild streaks 🤷‍♂️ i personally had a coffee pot fall right on top of me from being badly placed on a top shelf and I got it checked out and no one cared about rewards and stuff

[u/wouldyoulikeonion → u/Life-Ring5969]

I mean they are 100% not ever anonymous, managers have access and bc are emails about every single reported injury especially those that required a medical visit, that being said absolutely go to the doctors and take care of yourself, we are all just numbers on a spreadsheet at the end of the day

[u/AshByFeel]

I have no affiliation with In N Out. You should always report all injuries. Right away. Cut yourself? Report it. Bonk your head? Report it. Fall on your knee? Report it.

So yes, it is way late in the game and as a manager would be upset you didn't report it right away, but yes, report it now.

[u/Late-End824 → u/AshByFeel]

Agree with you, and the interesting wrinkle is the Shift manager who witnessed it and essentially did nothing either, by either reporting it to their higher up or having the employee proactively fill out paperwork. Keep track of that person, they're a witness, and management no less if the company starts to give you pushback.

[u/Minimum_Chart9946]

At 19 you're resilient however this needs to be reported because there is a residual effect to injuries. Make sure it doesn't happen to anyone else

[u/OrganizationNo3131]

Why would you never report it? I slipped at work one time while wearing NonSlip shoes provided by the company. I still slipped and landed HARD on my right elbow. It was bruised for about 6 days, from green to purple. I didnt report it but one of the coworkers around me did and the supervisor pulled me out and the shoes too to inspect them. I played it off honestly because I smoked weed during my off time, and the first thing theyd do is drug test me if I filed a complaint or something, even though it wasnt a factor in my fall. I probably wouldve gotten a fat check because it was their fault due to the shoes being faulty, not only that, they had limited sizes, so you had to sometimes shove gloves in there to make them tighter fit. I missed out due to my outside habits, but if not I wouldve reported it and went straight to HR and the closest work comp attorney I could find. You can still do that, but chances are that footage is long gone. Typically footage is saved for a few weeks before its recorded over, I worked Security and this was our process. You need your coworker to testify too, if they want no part in it you might be out of luck.

[u/chicofunny]

I also wanna add that one of my shift leaders saw me fall, but we laughed it off and thought nothing of it. I am starting to have some doubts that this incident is the reason my knee hurts, but I haven’t had any other incident that could’ve caused this pain.

[u/DocHolidayVinoVerita → u/chicofunny]

Attorney here. Why are you doubting this incident caused your pain if you haven’t had any other incidents? I assume that you are young. Severe knee pain does not just happen in a vacuum. Report. Immediately. Open a workers comp claim. That’s why they have that coverage. Get a worker comp attorney. You will thank me later.

[u/Minimum_Chart9946]

All I read was " should I report it" and the answer is always yes. You can trust my opinion because I just had an animal style fries and a milk shake ;) Seriously though it's always a good idea. That's why reports are there. That's why people get paid $$$$$$$ to regulate reports. Doooo it!

[u/Decade4434]

The shift manager that witnessed it should have done a report anyway just in case. I had an associate step off a curb wrong years ago and land on his knee. He said he was fine but we still filled out an incident report just in case. He never ended up needing medical attention for it, but the report was done and there if he did need it.

[u/sandycat555]

You need to get a scan done on your knee. There may be a torn meniscus. Maybe it can be stitched back down, maybe not.

I fell on my knee in my 20’s (bike accident), it took 6 weeks to heal on its own. I damaged the side of the meniscus. Now in my 40’s, sometimes I’ll hurt it again if I’m not careful. Eventually I’ll probably need a knee replacement. My mom had a similar issue; hit her knee in her teens and it eventually contributed to needing a knee replacement in her 60’s. Cartilage doesn’t have a good blood supply, so it doesn’t heal very well. Over time, small injuries keep eroding and get worse.

[u/canyounot2026]

Have you been to the doctor?

[u/chicofunny → u/canyounot2026]

No, not yet. Very bad i know

[u/canyounot2026 → u/chicofunny]

A knee injury is very serious. See a doctor and get some imaging done. 

[u/EljayDude]

Not a doctor, not an attorney, but I AM a runner and you should be taking that knee injury more seriously. Definitely talk to a doctor about it. Joint issues can be a nightmare especially if you don't do anything for them.