Since the pandemic, the lines between your work and home have become more blurred. For this reason it may be tricky to figure out what is considered an injury that would lead to a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim and what is an injury that was sustained outside of work.
An injury sustained as the result of work may be considered worthy of filing a workers’ compensation claim. But what if it happens when you are not at work? Can it still be considered an injury that happened as the result of something you were doing for work? The short answer is, yes.
While many injuries occur at someone’s place of work, not all injuries do and that is why there may be cases where someone is injured doing something for work that doesn’t actually take place at their workplace. When this type of injury occurs it becomes even more important to report it to a supervisor in a timely manner because she/he may not become aware of the injury as they might be if it occurred at your place of business.
One of the many reasons someone may become injured outside of the workplace is that they are asked by a supervisor to run an errand for the company. This can lead to all types of injuries that could cause you to miss time away from work. Some of these injuries include;
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Injuries sustained as the result of a car accident. When you’re running an errand for your employer, if you were to get into an accident and injure yourself you may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim. All of the same rules that you would follow when you get into a car accident on your own time apply here and you will need to add one other thing to your to-do list after the accident and that is to notify your supervisor that the injury happened while you were running an errand for your company.
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A slip and fall injury is very possible if you are running an errand for your company. When you are climbing stairs, walking along sidewalks or entering unfamiliar buildings you may accidentally trip and fall, injuring yourself. Depending on the severity of the injury you should seek medical attention and then you should report it to your supervisor at work so you can be compensated for any medical bills or time away from your job that you incur as the result of the injury.
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Depending on the type of errand you are running for your job, you may get injured as the result of lifting something heavy that you otherwise might not do in the day to day tasks of your job. This can become an injury that lasts quite a long time and could potentially keep you out of work, especially as it lingers. As with all types of workplace injuries you will want to report this injury to your supervisor as soon as it happens.
When you’re asked to run an errand by your employer you most likely do not expect that you will become injured as a result of the task, but it can happen. If you are away from your job, but are doing a task for it and become injured you may need to file a Connecticut workers’ compensation claim. These types of claims can become complex and require you to work with an experienced attorney who is board certified. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will speak with you about your particular situation and work to protect your long-term interests
