L&I Workers’ Compensation For On-The-Job Car Accidents In Washington
Getting hurt in a motor vehicle accident is a true hardship. If that car accident happened during work, it’s even more complicated.
You should know that an additional option for financial relief is available to you. Injuries in car crashes can qualify for workers’ compensation benefits.
In Washington state, workers’ compensation is governed by the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I). It covers your medical treatment and replaces some of your lost pay.
When a traffic accident disrupts your work and your life, workers’ compensation can help you move beyond the hardship.
Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC has on-the-job motor vehicle accident lawyers who help people in Washington state get their maximum workers’ comp benefits.
If you’re in Richland, Spokane, Kennewick, Sunnyside, Yakima, Walla Walla, Ellensburg, Wenatchee, or anywhere else throughout central Washington, get in touch for help with your L&I workers’ compensation car accident claim.
How Car Accident Claims Work Under Workers’ Comp
Any injury involving a vehicle while you were working — no matter if you were driving, you were a passenger or you were a pedestrian hit by a vehicle — can create a workers’ comp claim.
And your injury can qualify you for whether you were on company grounds at the time or traveling elsewhere for work.
If the driver who hurt you doesn’t work for the same employer as you, you may also have a personal injury claim.
But personal injury and workers’ comp are different.
Personal injury is based on negligence. You can win damages if you prove that you were injured because of someone else’s carelessness.
Workers’ comp doesn’t consider negligence or fault. If you were hurt at work — no matter how it happened — you can qualify for benefits. At Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC, we focus on helping people maximize their workers’ comp benefits.
Numbers from L&I show that some kinds of workers in Washington are at a greater risk of on-the-job car crashes because they spend more time in vehicles:
- Truck drivers
- Salespeople
- Home health workers
- Construction workers
- Taxi drivers and other transportation workers
- Police and other first responders
- Maintenance and repair workers.
But we all know that car accidents are one of the most common causes of injury whether you’re at work or not, so it could happen to just about any worker.
If you’re not sure whether workers’ comp covers a motor vehicle accident involving your job, get a FREE legal evaluation from Bothwell Hamill & Sutton, PLLC.
What Evidence Do You Need In A Car Crash Workers’ Comp Claim?
Medical evidence is at the core of a successful workers’ comp claim. You need evidence from doctors treating you — evidence that doesn’t rely on you reporting your injuries and explaining the pain you feel, but instead comes from medical professionals who examine you.
This kind of evidence is called “objective findings,” and it includes:
- X-rays
- MRIs
- Other forms of imaging
- Breathing capacity tests
- Nerve damage tests
- Exercise tests
- Hearing tests
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) tests for head injuries
- Electrocardiogram (EKG) tests for heart problems
In addition to documenting the nature of your injuries, you’ll need to confirm that it happened at work.
That can be more complicated when you were working away from your employer’s own space, but an experienced workers’ compensation lawyer knows what information you need for a successful claim.
Employers or workers’ comp insurance providers may try to deny your claim or give you less than you should receive.
But a workers’ comp attorney pushes back. We fight to make sure they don’t shortchange you.
We fight to make sure you get the financial support you need after an accident at work, so you can put it behind you.
