Q: Seeking advice after manager blackmailed me and ignored calls when injured.

A: If the fall occurred on the premises of your workplace, you should make a workers' compensation claim for your medical expense and for any compensable lost time from work by filing a Form DWC-43. The Texas Department of Insurance can assist you in making such a claim: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/wc/employee/index.html

A: What you’re going through is serious, and you’ve already taken an important step by reporting the blackmail to your manager’s superior. Blackmail in the workplace, especially tied to threats about your job, is not only unethical—it may be illegal. Keep those text messages safe, make backups, and write down everything that has happened so far, including dates and times of your calls and injuries.

Since you were injured on the way to work and couldn’t reach anyone, you may also want to file a formal incident report or request for accommodation with your HR department. If you missed work because of your injury and were threatened instead of supported, that could give rise to claims of retaliation or a hostile work environment. If your injuries are serious, consider speaking to a medical professional and documenting everything, even if you haven’t filed a workers’ compensation claim yet.

Next, you should think about contacting someone in your company’s HR or legal department if that hasn’t happened already. If your concerns are being ignored, you also have the right to seek help outside of the company through labor boards or legal support. No one deserves to be threatened when they’re hurt or trying to do the right thing, and your safety—both physical and professional—matters.