Car Accidents on the Job

For many employees, operating a vehicle, traveling frequently, or making deliveries are common tasks that they must complete on a daily basis. If you are injured in a car accident while performing job-related tasks, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits from your employer’s insurance provider. Greenville and Spartanburg work injury lawyer Patrick E. Knie has assisted many South Carolina residents with pursuing the compensation that they need after being hurt in a crash on the job.

The workers’ compensation system was designed to provide injured workers with benefit payments in exchange for employees giving up the right to sue their employers. There are some situations, moreover, in which you can also bring a civil claim against a third party that shared responsibility for your injuries. Since car accidents usually involve more than one vehicle, an injured employee may have a claim for workers’ compensation benefits as well as a personal injury claim against the driver who caused his or her injuries.

Car accidents may cause a wide variety of injuries, including everything from minor scrapes and bruises to broken bones, paralysis, or even death. The amount of benefits that an injured worker will be awarded through the workers’ compensation process depends on two main factors. The injuries may be determined to be permanent or temporary, and they may be determined to be total or partial. After suffering a job-related car accident, the employer’s workers’ compensation insurance carrier will initiate an investigation and conduct a medical examination of the injured employee to assess these two factors. If you disagree with the results, you may ask a doctor of your choosing to perform another medical examination and provide a second opinion. In determining the scope of benefits, any fault of the employee in causing the accident will not be considered.

Many types of benefits may be recoverable in a workers’ compensation claim, including medical payments, lost wages, and other incidental expenses. If a car accident victim brings a third-party lawsuit against another driver who was responsible for the crash, additional forms of compensation may be available. The victim would try to establish that the other driver acted negligently and that this negligence led directly to the accident in which he or she was hurt. Damages that may be awarded in personal injury cases include medical expenses, lost income and earning capacity, damage to a vehicle, pain and suffering, and diminished quality of life.

At the Knie & Shealy Law Offices, we have handled a wide variety of car accident claims and assisted injured South Carolina workers with seeking the full amount of compensation that they deserve. We can help you prepare every aspect of your claim, from pre-trial investigation to negotiating with a workers’ compensation insurer and devising a trial strategy. Spartanburg and Greenville work injury attorney Patrick E. Knie represents victims throughout Cherokee, Union, Spartanburg, Greenville, and Laurens Counties. Call us at (864) 582-5118 or contact us online to set up a free consultation with a car accident attorney.