The commute to and from work every day is typically one of the busiest times on the road. Rush hour brings much higher traffic levels, and many drivers are stressed or in a hurry as they try to get to work on time. All of this can contribute to serious car accidents.
If you are injured in an accident on your way to work, however, you are likely not covered by workers’ compensation. It is natural to want compensation for your injuries, especially because you were only on the road in the first place to travel to your place of employment. But because you were not actively on the clock or performing duties related to your job, the general rule is that you cannot seek workers’ comp benefits for a normal commute.
2 common exceptions
There are some exceptions to this rule. First, if you are given a work-related task to complete during your commute, you may be eligible for workers’ comp benefits. This could be something as simple as stopping to pick up supplies on the way to the office.
The second exception is when you are traveling between job sites during the workday. For example, a construction worker may report to the main office in the morning, learn which job site they are assigned to and then drive to that location. If the worker is injured in an accident while traveling to the job site, they may qualify for workers’ comp benefits in a way they would not during a standard commute from home to the office.
As you can imagine, these types of workers’ compensation claims can become complicated, especially if there are disagreements about whether you were officially acting within the scope of your employment at the time of the accident. It is important to understand what legal options may be available to you.