What Happens if You Are Hurt While Driving for Work?
As part of your job duties for your Tennessee-based employer, you may either drive the company vehicle or your personal vehicle for work purposes. Because being on the road more puts you at higher risk for an auto accident, there may come a time when you find yourself injured in a car accident while on the clock.
To better understand how to respond and who bears responsibility for your injuries, SFM explores whether workers’ comp covers car accidents. Use their insights to protect your mental, financial and physical health.
Work-Related Car Accidents
As long as you sustained injuries in a work-related car accident, workers’ compensation takes care of your resulting medical bills. Just like any other work-related injury, no matter where the incident occurred, it is best to inform your employer of the accident and resulting injuries ASAP.
Actions to Take
In the aftermath of the accident, treat it as you would if you were in an accident during your personal time. That means calling for medical assistance (if necessary) and law enforcement to provide you with a police report to bolster your claim. Gather details about the other vehicle, such as the make, model and license plate, and the driver’s insurance information. If there are any witnesses to the accident, take down their contact information and ask if they would be willing to provide a statement.
At-Fault Driver
Say that the accident was not your fault. In that case, the at-fault driver’s auto insurance would cover your injuries, rather than your employer’s workers’ compensation coverage. That said, know that the other driver may only bear a portion of the fault in the accident, which means that she or he only bears partial responsibility for your medical bills. Additionally, a driver who bears full responsibility may not have adequate insurance coverage to cover the totality of your injuries.
Do your part in seeing to it that you are not on the hook for someone else’s negligence, either the at-fault driver’s or your employer’s. Your focus should be on making a full recovery and returning to work, not fretting over how to pay for medical bills and lost wages.