Two Cases, Not One, When Hit While Driving For Work

If you’re injured in a car accident while driving for work in South Florida, you may be dealing with more than just a single claim. Many people don’t realize that being hit on the job often leads to two separate legal cases: one for workers’ compensation and another for personal injury.

Miami personal injury lawyers are available to assist you in moving forward with crossover claims. This is critical to making sure you get the compensation you deserve.

A Common Scenario with Complex Consequences

Let’s say you’re making deliveries for a logistics company in Miami-Dade County, or transporting a client as a driver. If another vehicle crashes into you, you may suffer serious injuries, miss work, and face mounting medical bills. Because you were performing job duties at the time of the collision, you could qualify for workers’ comp benefits. But if the crash was someone else’s fault, you may also have a third-party personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.

These claims are handled differently, and each offers different types of compensation. For instance, workers’ compensation provides medical care, wage replacement, and benefits for permanent disabilities, regardless of who caused the accident. But it does not compensate you for pain and suffering or hold the at-fault party accountable.

But you may be entitled to more compensation than workers’ comp alone offers. Personal injury claims allow you to pursue damages from the negligent driver or other liable parties. This can include pain and suffering, emotional distress, future lost earnings, and other damages not covered by workers’ comp.

Miami Workers Who May Be Affected

South Florida is home to a wide range of employees who drive as part of their work. Common examples include:

• Delivery drivers
• Rideshare drivers
• Commercial truck drivers
• Home healthcare workers traveling to patients
• Salespeople and real estate agents driving between appointments
• Utility workers and construction crews
• City employees and first responders

Whether you’re full-time, part-time, or an independent contractor, if you were injured while driving for work, it’s important to understand your rights as these cases can quickly become complicated.

Workers’ comp insurers may try to limit your benefits, and personal injury insurers may deny liability or argue your injuries aren’t severe. In addition, there may be coordination issues between the two cases, including reimbursement claims where one insurer wants to recover what they paid from the other case.

A Miami personal injury lawyer experienced in handling both work-related auto accident cases and third-party claims can help you manage your workers’ comp claim and identify liable third parties so personal injury compensation can be pursued. They are also able to recognize pitfalls, such as double-dipping or insurance conflicts, so missteps can be avoided and your total recovery can be maximized.

Are you recovering from an injury you sustained while on the clock? Getting hit while driving for work doesn’t just mean dealing with an injury, it means navigating two legal systems at once. With the help of the attorneys at Spencer Morgan Law, you can make sure no opportunity for compensation is overlooked. Call 305-423-3800 to book a confidential consultation.