When you have to drive as part of your job, one of the things that can happen is an auto accident. For the most part, people understand that the time they spend driving to work or to home is their own. If they are hurt, they don’t file a claim with their employer. Instead, they file a claim with the other party’s insurance carrier.
However, if you are hurt while driving for work, it’s a completely different situation. In that case, you need to file a workers’ compensation claim.
Even if you aren’t on your employer’s premises, if you are driving for them to complete a job-related task, then you can file for workers’ comp if you get hurt.
One good example is if you are driving to a work meeting that is required by your employer. If you are being paid mileage, then it is very clear that this is a work-related drive and that you should be covered by workers’ comp if you are injured by another driver.
What happens if your employer doesn’t want to cover your injuries?
If your employer doesn’t want to help you file a claim for workers’ comp, you still have the right to do so. You may need to file the claim on your own, even if the employer disputes the claim and contends that they don’t believe that the incident was related to work.
As long as you have documentation that you were hurt while performing duties for your job, you should have no problem getting your claim approved. If your claim is denied, reach out to an attorney for help appealing that decision.
