$20,000 in future treatment can vanish fast if fear keeps you from filing. No - in Maryland, an employer is not allowed to fire you, cut your hours, or punish you because you filed a workers' compensation claim after a work-related crash.

The follow-up question you should be asking is: How do I prove this injury will hurt my income months from now, not just this week?

If you were hurt in a Rockville crash on the job - like a highway collision during summer delivery traffic on I-270, the Beltway, or after a heat-related tire blowout - you need to protect both the claim and your future earning power.

In Maryland, report the injury to your employer right away. Then file with the Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission. For many accidental injury claims, the filing deadline is 60 days, and waiting can create a fight you do not need.

Your claim is not just about the ER bill.

It can include:

• Medical treatment
• Temporary total disability payments if you cannot work
• A permanent partial disability rating if you do not fully recover
• Future limits on lifting, driving, standing, or overtime that reduce what you can earn

That last part matters. If your shoulder, back, knee, or head injury means you cannot go back to the same job, your financial loss may continue for years.

Get and keep every work restriction in writing. Save pay stubs from before and after the crash. If your boss starts cutting shifts, changing duties, or writing you up after you report the injury, keep those records too.

If adjusters are sending forms you cannot read, ask for a translator or interpreter immediately. The Workers' Compensation Commission can provide language access for hearings. A bad form or wrong statement now can shrink your disability rating later.