Workers’ compensation insurance provides benefits for employees who suffer an illness or injury due to their work activities. While workers’ compensation usually does not apply to an employee’s commute to and from work, an employee injured in an automobile accident while working may be eligible for workers’ compensation.
When can an employee receive workers’ compensation benefits because of a motor vehicle accident?
When does workers’ compensation apply to a motor vehicle accident?
Workers’ compensation usually applies to injuries caused by car accidents that occur while an employee is working. Several circumstances may result in an employee being eligible for coverage:
- Employee was driving from one work site to another
- Employee was transporting another employee for work-related reasons
- Employee was running errands or making deliveries for the employer
- The employer pays a remote employee for travel time to and from the employee’s home
When does workers’ compensation not apply?
If the employee gets in an accident while the employee is doing something not work-related, workers’ compensation may not apply. For example, if the employee is making a delivery for the employer, but decides to leave the delivery route to stop at a store to make a non-work-related purchase and gets in an accident while traveling to the store, workers’ compensation may not cover the accident.
Because workers’ compensation is no-fault coverage, an employee injured in an auto accident while working may receive coverage even if the employee caused the accident. However, if a third party is at fault, the employee may be able to seek uncompensated damages from the at-fault party.