Mistakes happen when we’re driving and sometimes the most responsible person can inadvertently cause a vehicle collision. In most cases, when a motorist causes a car crash and it’s his or her fault, the at-fault motorist will not be able to seek compensation for the costs related to his or her injuries — unless those injuries were covered by a no-fault insurance policy. This is different, however, when it comes to someone who gets into a crash while on the job.
As long as you were “on the job” and not intoxicated the answer is probably “yes”
Imagine you’re employed by a transportation company and you accidentally cause a crash by running through a red light in your company vehicle. Since workers’ compensation benefits are no-fault, the only requirement for you to receive employment-related injury benefits is for the accident to have happened while you were on the job. As long as you weren’t intoxicated or engaged in grossly unlawful behavior, your ability to receive workers’ compensation benefits doesn’t depend on whether the crash was your fault or not.
Scenarios when you can pursue workers’ comp benefits after a car crash
Here are a few work-related scenarios that could result in a worker receiving workers’ compensation benefits after causing a vehicle collision. In these cases, the accident might even qualify if the worker was driving his or her personal car:
- Making deliveries for the company.
- Carrying out work-related errands.
- Driving fellow employees from one place to another for work reasons.
- Compensated travel.
- Workers for whom driving is an important part of their jobs and workers for whom their vehicles function as a “mobile office.” Many salespeople use their cars regularly like this.
Valuable compensation for motorists who were injured on the job
A successfully navigated claim for workers’ compensation benefits after a serious car accident can bring an injured worker valuable compensation to pay for medical care, time spent out of work and other types of benefits. If a worker is involved in a crash that was not his or her fault, a claim for workers’ compensation and a claim for personal injury damages may be simultaneously pursuable in some cases.
If you have questions about your right to receive benefits after a work-related automobile collision, investigate your legal options as soon as possible.