Maybe you work for a replacement window company, and you travel to people’s houses to provide them with quotes for how much it would cost to upgrade their existing windows. Perhaps you deliver groceries in the evenings and on the weekends for a major retailer to supplement your household income.
There are thousands of reasons why professionals find themselves traveling in a motor vehicle while performing their job functions. The travel may be the basis of their job, as is the case with delivery drivers, or it may be necessary to perform a job, as with sales professionals or service providers.
Can you rely on workers’ compensation to help you if you end up getting into a crash while working?
Yes, any job injury may qualify for benefits
Although you do potentially have other forms of insurance that could help you after a motor vehicle collision, workers’ compensation should be one of the first places you turn. Unlike health insurance and car insurance, workers’ compensation does not care about fault and does not impose any financial responsibility on the person claiming the benefits.
You won’t have to cover several thousand dollars worth of your health care before workers’ compensation pays for your treatment, and you also won’t have to worry about low policy limits, as might be the case when you depend on someone else’s motor vehicle insurance for healthcare coverage and wage replacement.
Car crashes are a very common source of both lost time injuries for workers and employee fatalities. Workers left injured in a collision and those who lose a loved one because of a crash could potentially file a claim for benefits through workers’ compensation.
You may have access to multiple forms of compensation
The good news is that you generally don’t have to choose between car insurance, workers’ compensation and a personal injury lawsuit after a crash while working. You may be able to pursue a combination of different forms of reimbursement depending on your circumstances. A car insurance claim may be necessary to repair your vehicle, for example, while workers’ compensation can pay for treatment.
Educating yourself about workers’ compensation benefits and your rights after an injury on the clock will make it easier for you to get the support and financial coverage you require.