In the event of an automobile accident, you may make a claim against the negligent driver. If the accident occurred on the job, you may also be eligible for workers’ compensation payments. Certain vocations, such as truck driving, delivery driving, emergency response, sales, construction, and food and grocery delivery, rely heavily on driving. Workers in these positions are more likely to be injured in on-the-job vehicle accidents. Employees who do not often drive for work may, nevertheless, be entitled to make a claim for compensation following a vehicle accident injury. Contact the Injured Workers Law Firm to know more.
What are you required to do?
It is critical to show that the accident was work-related while seeking workers’ compensation payments for an automobile accident injury. What workers’ compensation insurance providers usually do is that they evaluate this on an individual basis. Running errands for the employer, making deliveries, picking up supplies, driving coworkers for work purposes, traveling between company sites, transporting construction materials, attending sales appointments, off-site work meetings, or any other work-related travel are examples of work-related events.
The going-and-coming rule often bars workers from getting workers’ compensation payments for injuries sustained while commuting. There are several exceptions to this rule, such as when you commute in a corporate car, drive to various job locations, pick up supplies on the way home, are on a business vacation, have travel as a key job obligation, or have been assigned a specific assignment by your employer.
If you were in an accident while on the job that was caused by another motorist, you can submit an insurance claim or a lawsuit against the at-fault driver while concurrently pursuing a workers’ compensation claim. A personal injury claim against the other party does not preclude you from filing a workers’ compensation claim, and vice versa. However, it is critical to distinguish between a personal injury claim against the at-fault motorist and a workers’ compensation claim with your employer’s insurance provider.
Final thoughts:
In order to file a workers’ compensation claim, you must establish that the injury happened while you were at work. In a personal injury claim, however, you must prove that the at-fault driver’s carelessness caused the collision and your injuries. Workers’ compensation only covers a fraction of lost pay; however, making a claim against the at-fault party allows you to seek full reimbursement for lost wages as well as extra damages such as pain and suffering.
