Have you been involved in a car accident while working? Car accidents are the most common type of personal injury claim in Illinois. Car crashes around Chicagoland occur frequently and on a daily basis. If you are required to drive as part of your job duties, it makes sense that you are more at risk of suffering an accident. What happens if you are involved in a car accident while you are working? Would you be covered under the Workers’ Compensation Act if someone else outside of your company causes a car crash? Keep reading to learn more from the top workers compensation attorneys in Chicago at Eames Law Group about what your rights are if you are involved in a car accident at work.
If you are driving in the course of your employment at the time of a car accident, then you should be entitled to receive benefits under the Workers’ Compensation Act. It does not matter if this car accident occurred away from your employer’s premises. It also does not matter if this car accident was caused by someone else who is unaffiliated with your employer. As long as the car accident arose out of and occurred in the course of your employment, then you should receive work comp benefits.
It is important to note that it does not matter whether you are at fault for causing the car accident. Workers’ compensation is a fault-free system in Illinois. So, even if the investigating police officers determine you are at fault, you are still eligible for work comp benefits if you are injured in a car crash while working.
In addition to workers’ compensation benefits, if you are injured in a car accident which was not your fault, you will also have a claim against the at-fault driver who caused the accident. You could pursue a case against the at-fault driver as well as a claim for workers’ compensation simultaneously. Despite what your employer may say, you do not have to choose one path over the other. However, there are statutory liens and reimbursements which may be required under the Workers’ Compensation Act if you obtain a recovery for a car accident case, and also receive workers’ compensation benefits. For this reason, it is important to contact an attorney who is experienced in both work comp claims and car accident cases to discuss the best strategies to maximize your recovery.
At Eames Law Group, we practice exclusively in injury law and injury claims for plaintiffs and injured workers. We handle both personal injury cases for car accidents, as well as workers’ compensation claims. Eames Law Group, Ltd. never stops fighting for our clients, and we will aggressively push cases to trial in order to obtain justice when insurance companies attempt to trample on the rights of our clients. If an insurance company has denied your work comp claim or refused to pay work comp benefits, you owe it to yourself to contact one of the best work comp attorneys in Chicago, to discuss your rights. Our firm has been elected to state leadership positions in the area of work comp law, and frequently lectures to other attorneys regarding law, and trial strategies in Illinois work comp cases. If you have been injured, you should immediately contact Brent Eames for a free consultation to discuss your options.
The content of this blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute or establish an attorney-client relationship, nor constitute legal advice. If you wish to discuss any further aspect of the material contained herein, please contact an attorney at Eames Law Group, Ltd.
