Millions of Americans travel for work every day. Either because they work within the transportation or shipping industries or because they need to move between locations for a myriad of other reasons, regular work-related travel is not uncommon. Nor is travel for work on a sporadic basis. For example, office workers may be required to attend a conference across town once every six months.
Whether you travel for work regularly or occasionally, if you are engaged in work-related activities at the time that you suffer physical harm in a motor vehicle crash, you will likely be eligible to collect workers’ compensation benefits.
Workers’ compensation benefits are not sent to the bank account of an injured worker automatically. As soon as you’ve been discharged from an emergency room, hospital or urgent care facility, you’ll need to report your injury to your employer and begin taking other necessary first steps in the time-sensitive process of applying for workers’ comp benefits.
The silver lining
The aftermath of any kind of injurious motor vehicle accident can be both costly and overwhelming. Yet, there is usually good news to be had in the wake of work-related collisions. Although you’ll still likely need to seek legal assistance to pursue fair insurance settlements and – depending on why you crashed – personal injury damages, you’re almost certainly entitled to workers’ comp benefits as a matter of course.
Understanding both your eligibility for workers’ compensation and the basics of how to go about obtaining workers’ comp benefits can help to ensure that you receive the maximum amount of compensation you’re owed. Just remember to act quickly. Applying for workers’ comp benefits is a notoriously time-sensitive process.