Can you get workers’ compensation for an on-the-job car crash?

When you suffer a serious injury in an on-the-job car crash in Massachusetts, you may wonder whether you may get workers’ compensation to help cover the costs of your medical care and other expenses. You may be able to secure compensation to help cover your injury-related and other expenses. However, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.

Massachusetts employers, with very few exceptions, have to offer their employees workers’ compensation insurance if they suffer a serious injury on the job. However, whether injuries sustained in a car crash are your employer’s responsibility depends. Ultimately, it depends on whether you suffered the injury while doing something that was within your “scope of employment.”

When you qualify for workers’ compensation

If an injury occurs in a crash that took place while you were driving specifically for work purposes, you may be able to secure workers’ compensation to cover associated expenses. In most cases, injuries you sustain while commuting to and from your place of employment do not count. A possible exception to this is if your employer pays you for the time you spend commuting.

What types of compensation you may be able to get

While you may have concerns about securing coverage for potentially costly medical expenses, you may also be able to secure coverage to make up for lost income or disfigurement. You may also be able to get compensation to help cover expenses relating to vocational rehabilitation, among other areas.

Even if your employer’s workers’ compensation coverage does not injuries sustained in a car crash, you may be able to secure compensation through filing a third-party claim.