Palm Beach Car Accident Lawyer
If you have been involved in an incident at your workplace, contact a work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach, FL residents rely on at the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt. Our lawyers can help compensate you for lost wages, ensure payment of medical bills, and ultimately help you secure a favorable lump sum settlement.
A work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach, FL families turn to can help you decide how to handle your case, whether it’s under Florida’s workers’ compensation legal system or through a lawsuit with a third-party civil suit. These cases can be handled simultaneously so that both cases run at the same time or staggered so one starts after the other is resolved. Ultimately, with input from our lawyers, you will be placed in a position to maximize your benefits and help you back on the road to recovery.
The Benefits of Pursuing a Workers’ Compensation Case
There is one major benefit to pursuing a workers’ compensation case after being involved in a work related car or motor vehicle accident: you do not need to prove fault under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws to receive medical care and lost wages. This means the accident could have been your fault and you may have even been cited for the accident. This is important should the car accident become contested by the automobile insurance company (i.e., there is a fight over who had the green light or how the accident occurred).
If there is a dispute, which happens in many instances, then the Palm Beach County workers’ compensation case may be a better option for you to obtain medical care and lost wages. Further, when contested, a third party case may result in a compromised settlement or verdict. On the other hand, if liability from the car accident is not contested, your injuries, medical care and lost wages may allow the third party case to provide benefits that are not available under Florida’s workers’ compensation laws. Please consider contacting a work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach, FL workers rely on, so we can help determine which choice is the best option for you.
When you are in a car accident while you are still on the clock, you know it is time to seek help from a legal professional about what to do next. You want to make sure you get the support you need after an accident like this, but it can be tricky when you are not sure if workers’ compensation will cover your injuries or not. You need to know what your legal rights are, and if you were injured because of a work-related task while driving on the road, we can help you.
How do you determine what is and isn’t “work-related”?
This is one of the most important questions you can ask. If you were on your way to work and traveling your usual commute when you were hit by another car, this is not a situation where you would file for workers’ compensation. Driving in and out of work on your normal commute is something you need to do but it is considered your own time. Instead, you would work out the insurance compensation with the other driver instead of trying to get compensated through workers’ comp.
On the other hand, our team at the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt knows that each state is required to have some type of workers’ compensation laws, and that if you are an employee of a company you will likely be protected under these benefits. This means that if you need to get in the car and drive for anything related to your job, an accident could be covered under workers’ compensation. Below, we have a list that includes some of the reasons your driving may be covered.
- Your job requires you to make deliveries to people
- Your boss asked you to run errands for them or the company
- You drive for a living (taxi, limousine driver)
- You do not have an office but instead travel frequently for work
- Your employer specifically pays you to commute in and out of work
There are exceptions to any rule, which is why it is possible to get workers’ compensation for your commute to or from the office. If you think this may apply to you, we advise speaking with a work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach, FL residents trust right now.
Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim and a Personal Injury Claim
It is possible to file both a workers’ compensation claim with your employer and a personal injury claim against the other driver; they are not necessarily mutually exclusive. When you are interested in doing this, you should speak with a member of our legal team to see how we can help you with your claims and what kind of evidence you may need.
What Happens If I’m in an Accident with the Company Car?
You may wonder who pays when an employee crashes a company motor vehicle? Here is some helpful information about the liability for car accidents at work, motor vehicle insurance, and workers’ compensation:
Causing an Accident in a Company Vehicle
A motor vehicle accident is just as likely to happen while driving a company vehicle as your passenger car. If you’re driving a company truck or car and cause an accident, you might expect the accident will be covered under your company’s insurance policy. Unfortunately, that may not be the case. You could be on the hook for any injuries or property damage from the accident personally. You may have to navigate the aftermath of the accident on your own if there are accident victims involved who file a lawsuit.
Being Injured by a Commercial Vehicle
If you are a non-employee injured in an accident with a commercial vehicle, you are entitled to pursue the compensation you deserve from the company and/or the driver. You’ll likely need to file an auto accident or personal injury claim for help getting the compensation to which you are entitled.
You may be curious where the money comes from to pay those massive settlements? In the majority of cases, an employer’s commercial vehicle insurance policy pays high-dollar injury settlements. However, insurance companies lose money by paying out large settlements, and your company’s insurer would like to find a way to deny coverage for your accident if they can.
If you’ve been hurt while driving a company vehicle, you will likely have to deal with the workers’ compensation insurance company, as well. A work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach, FL community members turn to, can offer guidance when dealing with insurance companies.
About Liability, Negligence, and Insurance Companies
Here is vital information you will need to know about liability, negligence, and insurance companies if you are the at-fault driver in a company vehicle accident:
- One of the most urgent issues in the aftermath of such an accident is determining whether the employee driving the company vehicle is personally responsible for the accident or if the company who owns the car or truck is responsible.
- Negligence happens when a motor vehicle operator fails to act responsibly or does something unreasonable that another driver would not do. Liability means responsibility. The at-fault motor vehicle operator or the vehicle owner is usually considered liable for an accident victim’s damages.
- Damages for motor vehicle accident victims may include medical bills, therapy and rehab costs, lost wages, property damage, replacement services, related out-of-pocket expenses, consortium claims, and pain and suffering.
When the Company is Considered Responsible
The relationship between employees and employers who drive company vehicles falls under a specific legal doctrine that establishes employers as legally responsible for the actions of their employees when they act within the scope of their employment. In this circumstance, the employer is responsible for paying for property damages and injuries caused by the employee driving the company vehicle.
In most cases, an employer’s insurance coverage protects a driver involved in a car accident involving a company vehicle while the employee is engaged in work activities. In other words, the employer’s insurance company protects the driver (employee) from having to pay for damages to injured victims personally.
If you need help navigating workers’ compensation and the other issues discussed above, seek the assistance of a work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach, FL residents can depend on. We can help you sort through the details and determine where your fault lies, if at all. Schedule a consultation today.
Contact a Work Related Car Accident Lawyer Palm Beach, FL
If you have been involved in a work related car or motor vehicle accident in Palm Beach County, then contact the lawyers at the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt for a free and confidential consultation today. Don’t wait! We are here to help you sort through the many issues you will face while pursuing your case.
Our in-house workers’ compensation lawyers and our network of dedicated third party referral attorneys can help you obtain the compensation you deserve! Speak with a work related car accident lawyer Palm Beach residents rely on from the Law Offices of Franks, Koenig & Neuwelt now.
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“I would recommend Franks & Koenig to anyone that has had an injury case in the Palm Beach area.”
