Work Injury Lawyer
In today’s age of technology, more and more individuals work from home or on the road. While there are still many people who work from the office, warehouse or other physical address of the company they work for, there are a growing number of those who work offsite. What happens when someone is injured offsite? Do they still qualify for workers’ compensation benefits? Check it out!
Workers’ Compensation Benefits
All workers are entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if they are injured on the job. It’s a state-mandated insurance program that protects employers and their employees. Someone who becomes injured or ill can receive benefits for lost wages and medical expenses. There are a few exceptions, but most workplace injuries qualify.
Being Injured Offsite
Because there are so many jobs that don’t require an employee to work at the actual office, employees can receive benefits for offsite injuries in many cases. There are a few requirements that must be met, and this applies to both onsite and offsite injuries and illnesses. They are:
- Your injury or illness must be work-related.
- You have to be an employee. Independent contractors do not qualify.
- You have to meet the reporting and filing deadlines.
- Your employer must have insurance.
As you can see, these requirements can be met anywhere you work. For example, perhaps you work for a clothing company, boxing up orders and shipping them out. If you were walking from your basement workspace to your garage so you could get the next shipment of boxes, and you tripped and fell, a resulting injury would be work-related and you could qualify.
In a similar work situation, if you took a minute to run outside to water the flowers and you tripped on the hose, a resulting injury would not be work-related, and therefore not eligible for workers’ compensation.
Being Injured on Personal Errands
Some situations that would not qualify for workers’ compensation include being injured offsite while on personal errands. Perhaps you work from the office but are given a half-hour break every few hours. If you took that time to run some errands and were in a car accident, you would typically not be eligible to receive benefits. If your errands included some for your employer, such as picking up a ream of paper while you were out, there could be a case and you may be able to claim workers’ comp.
Receiving Help Today
To learn more about workers’ compensation and offsite injuries, contact a Milwaukee work injury lawyer today. With legal help on your side, it may be easier to determine whether your injury will qualify for benefits.
Thanks to Hickey & Turim, SC for their insight into workers compensation claims and offsite injuries.