Car accidents are one of the most common ways that people in the United States become seriously injured. Not only do they take about 40,000 lives every year, but tens of thousands of people end up with catastrophic injuries.
But is there any way that your car accident could actually qualify as a workplace injury? This is important to ask in any situation when you think it may be feasible, but especially if you were responsible for the accident. That could mean that the other driver isn’t liable, but you may still qualify for workers’ comp. So is there any overlap between the two?
When did the accident happen?
The biggest question to ask is just when the crash occurred and whether or not you were performing work-related duties at the time. If you were, then this means you were injured on the job. If you were not, then you likely cannot claim workers’ comp, even if you were on the way to work.
For instance, perhaps you were at the office when your boss asked you to go pick something up from a store downtown. While driving there, you were involved in the crash. Since you were running an errand for your boss and you were being paid for your time, this is a workplace injury, even though you were miles from the office when the crash happened.
However, if you were driving to work in the morning and you were hit by another commuter, then this does not qualify as a workplace injury thanks to the coming-and-going rule. In almost every case, workers who are on the way to work or on the way home after work or not eligible for workers’ comp.
That said, this can get a little bit complicated in situations where you may believe you were performing work duties and your boss may say that you were just coming in for the day or heading home. But it is definitely possible for a car accident to count as a workplace injury.
Taking the next steps
If you have been seriously injured and you believe you deserve workers’ compensation to help cover your bills, then it’s time to look into the next steps to take to claim this compensation.