In A Commercial Truck Accident?
What happens when you get into a car accident on the job? Who pays for your accident injuries? Can you bring a workers’ compensation claim? A personal injury claim? What if you are a commercial driver and can no longer drive?
Get your questions answered in a free consultation with the workers’ compensation attorneys at Bennerotte & Associates, P.A. Based in Eagan, Minnesota, our attorneys represent clients injured in commercial truck accidents and other workplace auto accidents in Minneapolis, St. Paul and surrounding communities. Send us an email today. We serve clients with passion and empathy, and we produce results.
You May Have A Personal Injury And A Workers’ Compensation Claim
Many commercial driver accidents involve two areas of law: workers’ compensation law and personal injury law. This is because there are typically multiple parties involved in an on-the-job auto accident — an employer, one or more negligent drivers and, in some cases, a manufacturer or other third party.
Do You Have A Workers’ Compensation Claim?
Under the Minnesota workers’ compensation statute, your injuries must have “arisen out of and in the course of employment.” As long as the car accident happened while you were working, you are entitled to workers’ compensation.
Workers’ comp pays for the following damages:
- Reasonable and necessary medical care related to the accident
- Wage-loss benefits for any income lost as a result of the accident
- Benefits for permanent damage to body parts and body function
- Vocational rehabilitation if you can no longer drive or otherwise perform your job
You may also apply for permanent total disability (PTD) benefits if your accident injuries amount to a disability that prevents you from working, and permanent partial disability (PPD) benefits if you lost the use of a body part.
Do You Also Have A Personal Injury Claim?
Even though workers’ compensation may cover your medical bills and lost wages, it may not cover the full extent of your damages. If a third party — such as another driver, the manufacturer of a defective auto part or a municipality — caused your accident, you can also bring a personal injury/ accident injury claim.
Through a personal injury claim, you may be able to recover compensation for:
- Past, present and future medical bills related to the accident
- Income lost as a result of the accident, including damages for loss of ability to earn a living in cases involving permanent disability
- Pain and suffering — emotional damages caused by the accident
- Punitive damages in cases of deliberate disregard of danger to others such as some drunk driving cases
Note: You cannot bring a personal injury claim against your employer. The workers’ compensation system shields employers from personal liability for work injuries.
We Can Help You With Your Entire Injury Case
Not all workers’ compensation lawyers are personal injury lawyers. By working with us, you can rest assured that your attorney is well-versed in both areas of the law. We understand how the laws work together and will use that knowledge to seek the full amount of benefits you are entitled to under Minnesota law.
Whether you are a semi-truck driver, FedEx driver, pizza delivery person, snowplow driver, sanitation worker, construction worker or another driver, if you have been injured on the job, contact us for experienced and responsive legal counsel. Call 651-364-6807. You can also contact us online.
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