I'm at a complete loss right now and I could really use some perspective from people who've been through this. I was in a pretty serious accident at work about six months ago where a piece of machinery malfunctioned and ended up crushing my hand. I've had one surgery already and my hand surgeon is telling me I'm probably looking at another one to deal with the nerve damage and scar tissue that's causing me constant pain and limited mobility. Last week the insurance company sent me to their own doctor for an evaluation, and this guy spent maybe ten minutes with me, barely looked at my hand, and then wrote a report saying I've reached maximum medical improvement and can return to full duty with no restrictions. I couldn't believe it. I can barely make a fist, I can't grip anything heavier than a coffee cup without pain, and this guy is saying I'm ready to go back to operating heavy equipment. My own surgeon was furious when I told him. Now the insurance company is using that report to try to cut off my benefits and deny the second surgery. I've been looking for an Ulster County workers comp attorney Saugerties based because I know I need to fight this, but I'm also scared that if I push back too hard they'll just drag this out even longer. How do you even fight a report from an insurance doctor when they clearly didn't do a real exam? Does anyone actually take these things seriously or do judges see through them? I'm in so much pain and I just want to get the surgery I need so I can try to get some function back in my hand.