Unless you work from home, odds are you have to commute to your workplace at least a couple of times a week. Whether that commute is five minutes or 50 miles one way, you are generally not covered by workers’ compensation protections during your commute. However, there are plenty of situations where driving or traveling as a result of your job duties would render you eligible to collect workers’ compensation in the event of an injury or traffic accident. In today’s blog, we explore some situations where your commute could be covered by workers’ compensation protections in Minnesota.
Commuting And Workers’ Compensation
As we’ve talked about on the blog at length in the past, your commute is not typically covered by workers’ compensation protections. Although you would not have been injured but for your employment, it’s simply not reasonable for your company’s workers’ compensation provider to have to offer protections during your everyday commute to and from the office. If you are involved in a car accident on your way to work, you will have to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit or by filing a claim through your automobile insurance provider.
However, there are plenty of situations where you may actually be covered by workers’ compensation during your travels. If any of the following apply to your situation, you may benefit from a consultation with a workers’ compensation attorney.
Commuting Between Jobsites – If you are injured while commuting between jobsites, this travel may be considered a normal part of your work day, and you could be eligible for compensation. Injuries suffered when commuting from the office to a jobsite or from one site to another may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits.
Traveling For Work – If you’re traveling to give a speech at a conference on the other side of the country or simply attending a workshop on the other side of town, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. This type of commute is not a standard commute, and if it was required as part of your job duties, you may have an argument in court that your injuries should be protected by workers’ compensation.
Errands For The Boss – If you are performing an errand for your job or picking up supplies from the downtown office, you may be eligible for worker’s compensation if you are injured performing this task. These work-related commutes involve performing tasks for the benefit of the company (even if it’s something as simple as picking up the pizzas your boss ordered for a quarterly celebration), and thus they are covered by workers’ compensation protections.
On-Call Injuries – If you work a job where you are required to be on-call, you may be eligible for injuries that are suffered while responding to an on-call situation. This will be very dependent on the situation, and it’s unlikely that your on-call commute will be covered if you’re just showing up to your normal place of business. It can’t hurt to at least talk about your situation with an attorney if you are injured during an on-call commute.
So while your standard commute likely isn’t covered by workers’ compensation, if your travels are work-related and go above and beyond a standard commute to and from the office, there’s a possibility that your injuries would be covered by workers’ compensation, and you should go over your options with an injury lawyer.To talk about your specific situation, or for help with a different type of injury case, reach out to the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
