Car accidents are one of the main ways that people get injured every day in the United States. These injuries can range from very minor issues to life-changing conditions.
If you get injured in a car accident on the job, you may wonder if you can seek workers’ comp. Not only are the costs of treatment for your injury going to be high, but you may miss time – and wages – at work. But are you able to seek compensation after a car accident, rather than a fall on the job or a different type of injury?
The coming and going rule applies
It really depends on where you were driving and what you were expected to be doing at the time. There is a doctrine known as the coming and going rule, which generally means that workers who are commuting to and from work are not covered for workers’ comp purposes. If your accident occurred while you were driving into the office, for instance, you may not qualify.
However, if you were driving while you were at work, and driving was part of your duties for the day, then it is a work-related risk and you should get compensation. This applies even to those who don’t drive professionally. For instance, maybe you work at the office but your boss sent you to pick something up from another location. Driving isn’t a normal activity you do, but if it was something you were asked to do for work when you got in the accident, that crash still counts as a workplace injury.
Situations like this can get complicated, so make sure you always know what steps to take.