Auto Accidents While You Are Working

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Auto Accidents Qualify for Workers’ Comp in Des Moines, IA

If you drive for a living in Iowa, whether it is a company-owned truck or van, or using your own vehicle, you may be eligible for workers' compensation benefits if you are injured in an accident on the road or on company grounds. Many people are surprised to learn that this can include driving to an off-site work location, picking up donuts for an office meeting or parking in the company's parking lot.

Determining whether your motor vehicle accident will qualify as a work-related injury under Iowa's workers' compensation laws can be complicated. Often, our state's complex rules regarding workers' comp and personal injury liability get tangled up, with the employer's workers' compensation insurance and the driver's auto insurance companies both denying liability. There are so many exceptions to every rule.

Injured in a Car Accident on the Job? Call Our Attorneys.

Turn to Lawyer, Lawyer, Dutton, Drake & Conklin, LLP in West Des Moines for help. We focus exclusively on workplace injuries and personal injury litigation law. Each partner on our team has more than 35 years of related trial and insurance settlement experience. We will sort through the facts of the case and give you an honest evaluation of your options for recovering full and fair workers' compensation benefits and/or compensation from the negligent driver's insurance company.

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It is time to stop looking and start getting straight answers to your questions about a car or truck accident on the job. Wherever you were injured in Iowa, call us at (515) 224-4400 or use our form to arrange a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions About Auto Accidents While Working in Iowa

Can I Get Workers' Compensation If I'm Injured in a Car Accident While Working in Iowa?
Yes, you may be entitled to Iowa workers' compensation benefits if you are injured in a motor vehicle accident while performing your job duties. This can include employees who regularly drive for work as well as employees who are making a delivery, traveling between work locations, running an errand for their employer, or performing another work-related task.

Whether an accident qualifies as work-related depends on the circumstances. If you're unsure whether the trip was considered part of your employment, don't assume you aren't covered. Talk with an experienced Iowa workers' compensation attorney about what you were doing and why you were driving when the accident occurred.
Can I Receive Workers' Compensation If I Caused the Car Accident While Working?
Potentially, yes. Iowa workers' compensation is generally a no-fault system. If you were injured in an accident arising out of and in the course of your employment, causing or contributing to the crash does not necessarily prevent you from receiving workers' compensation benefits.
For example, a delivery driver, truck driver, salesperson, service technician, or other employee who makes a driving mistake while performing work duties may still have workers' compensation rights.

Don't assume that being ticketed or believing you caused the accident automatically means you have no workers' compensation claim.
Can I Have Both a Workers' Compensation Claim and a Claim Against the Driver Who Hit Me?
Often, yes.

If you were working when another driver caused your accident, you may potentially have a workers' compensation claim related to your employment and a personal injury claim against the negligent driver that caused the crash.

The two claims are different and can involve different insurance companies, benefits, and types of compensation. There can also be important issues involving how recoveries from the two claims interact.

At Lawyer Lawyer Dutton Drake & Conklin LLP, we handle both Iowa workers' compensation and personal injury cases, allowing us to investigate both potential claims after a serious work-related motor vehicle accident.
Am I Covered by Workers' Compensation If I Was Driving My Own Car for Work?
You don't necessarily have to be driving a company-owned vehicle to have a workers' compensation claim.

If you were using your personal vehicle to perform a work-related task—such as traveling to another job location, making a delivery, visiting a customer, or running an errand for your employer—the circumstances may support a workers' compensation claim.

What matters isn't simply who owns the vehicle. The purpose of the trip and whether you were acting in the course of your employment can be important in determining whether the injury is work-related.
Does Workers' Compensation Cover an Accident While I'm Driving To or From Work?
Usually, an ordinary commute to and from work is treated differently from driving as part of your job. However, there can be exceptions depending on the circumstances.

For example, questions may arise when an employee is traveling between job sites, performing a special errand for the employer, traveling as part of the job, or is injured in an area connected with the employer's premises.

These cases can become complicated quickly. If you were injured while driving to work, leaving work, traveling between locations, or performing an employer-related errand, don't decide on your own that the accident isn't covered. An Iowa workers' compensation attorney can review the circumstances and explain whether you may have a claim.