Work related car accidents can happen at any given time with so many professional drivers sharing the highways with regular motorists. Work related car accidents usually involve drivers such as food delivery services, taxi drivers, transportation services and commercial truck drivers. Professional drivers or people whose jobs require them to do a lot of driving are covered under Colorado’s worker’s compensation insurance, but they are still eligible for compensation for injuries under certain circumstances. If you are a delivery driver, a Colorado personal injury attorney can explain the worker’s compensation laws to you and your rights under both workers comp and personal injury laws.
Worker’s Compensation Benefits
In cases of motor vehicle accidents at work, Colorado’s worker’s compensation provides the following benefits:
- Medical benefits
- Temporary disability benefits
- Permanent Partial Disability (PPD)
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD)
- Death benefits.
What’s Not Covered
However, not all work related car accidents are covered by worker’s compensation. You may not receive worker’s compensation if your work-related injuries fall under the following categories:
- You got injured while intoxicated;
- You willfully injured yourself or another person;
- You were injured while engaging in an athletic or social event that was not part of your work duties;
- You got injured while engaged in horseplay with another employee
- Your injury was from an act of God. Exceptions may apply to workers whose job duties requires them to be more exposed to an increased risk than other workers
Third Party Liability Claim
Colorado law requires all persons injured on the job to file a worker’s compensation claim. Therefore, you could not sue your employer if your are injured in a work related car accident and your employer had worker’s compensation insurance at the time of the incident. However, you can file a third-party liability claim against other parties you believe have contributed to causing your accident (or in the event your employer was not carrying worker’s comp at the time of your accident). Another benefit of a third-party liability claim is you may be able to recover damages for what worker’s compensation doesn’t cover, namely, pain and suffering. This is where having a Colorado personal injury attorney would be beneficial.
How A Colorado Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Consulting with a personal injury attorney as soon after your work-related accident as possible is important, especially if you plan to file a third-party liability suit against other parties who were involved in your accident, and you want to know all of your rights in regards to worker’s compensation laws. Time is of the essence when filing worker’s compensation claims. You may lose out on benefits if you wait too long to report all work-related injuries. Make all of your reports in writing and be as detailed as possible. The Colorado personal injury attorneys at the O’Connell Law Firm, P.C. can assist you with third-party liability claims and address any questions or concerns regarding worker’s compensation. Contact their office for a free initial consultation.
