When you are involved in a car crash while on the job, your life is often turned upside down. You may miss time from work, undergo extensive medical care and several sessions of physical therapy or rehabilitation. Most states offer work comp benefits to employees injured in a car crash while in the course and scope of employment. These employees may be delivery drivers, couriers, sales people, service technicians, truck drivers, police officers and more. Statistics show driving as the #1 risk to human safety. Especially in the wake of increased distracted driving, drivers are extremely vulnerable to injury, and worse, death.
Many people involved in a car crash while on the job will automatically receive work comp benefits from their employer. Missouri and Illinois have reporting requirements for employers, forcing them to report any work injury an employee sustains. What many people involved in a workday car crash don’t know is: you may be entitled to recover under the at-fault driver’s insurance policy, or your own under insured or uninsured motorist policy, in addition to the benefits you may receive under work comp.
The premise is simple: work comp covers the injured employee’s medical treatment and a portion of their lost wages, as well as any permanent disability they may have as a result of the work comp car crash. The law is clear that only a portion of lost wages are paid to eligible workers. When another party is responsible for a car crash causing a work comp injury, the injured party often has rights to recover for pain and suffering and other losses that the work comp statute does not cover.
One thing to remember when involved in car crash under work comp:
Speak with a knowledgeable personal injury before speaking with the other driver’s insurance company or your own insurance company’s adjuster. This will protect you from any inadvertent mistakes you could be making. The adjuster will prefer to speak with you before consulting with an attorney so that they may possibly build a case against you to deny coverage.
