If you work any type of transportation job in Georgia, you know your job can be dangerous in multiple ways. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 40% of work-related fatalities involved driving, and nationwide there has been a slight increase in work-related transportation injuries each year for several years now. Of all the causes of work-related injuries and deaths, transportation ranks as one of the greatest risks for employees.
IMPORTANT: If you have been injured in any way on the job, you need to know that your workers’ compensation benefits are not automatic. You need to file a claim, meet certain deadlines and provide documentation of your medical condition and your income and needs. Really, the best way for you to get the full amount of workers’ comp benefits is to get help from a workers’ compensation attorney. Every day, people’s worker’s comp claims are denied, or people don’t get all their benefits, because they didn’t get the legal help they needed.
See our Workers’ Comp Dos and Don’ts to learn more.
You may have a workers’ compensation claim, plus a personal injury claim
When you are in a motor vehicle accident while on the job, you have a workers’ compensation case against your employer regardless of who is at fault for the accident. However, if another driver’s negligence caused the accident and your injuries, not only can you bring a workers’ compensation claim against your employer, but you can also bring a third-party bodily injury claim against the at-fault driver and their insurance company. So you would have two potentially good cases if you have been injured while on the job in a motor vehicle accident due to someone else’s negligence.
Truck drivers are not the only ones getting hurt in transport accidents
Tractor-trailer drivers certainly face all kinds of health risks due to their jobs, and getting injured on the road is one of them. But the risk of injury is also high for local delivery drivers, construction workers, medical transport workers, landscaping workers, factory workers, warehouse workers, sales associates and other people who have to use a vehicle to make a living.
If you get injured on the job, be sure to learn about your rights and options for workers’ compensation benefits. And don’t try to handle your claim alone. To learn more, please see our Georgia workers’ compensation FAQ.