Drowsy Driving and Workplace Car Accidents
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), car accidents are the leading cause of workplace death. Many of these crashes that occur during the work day or the daily commute are attributable to drowsy driving. And unfortunately, drowsy driving puts everyone on the road at risk.
How Dangerous is Drowsy Driving?
Statistics are grim when it comes to the effects of drowsy driving. The NSC has also reported that it is three times more likely that a driver will be in a car crash if he or she is fatigued. Driving while drowsy is actually similar to driving under influence of alcohol in terms of its effect. The drowsier a driver is, the worse a driver’s reaction times, awareness of hazards and ability to sustain attention are.
What Are Warning Signs of Drowsy Driving?
Drowsy driving can affect everyone from workers who drive for a living such as commercial truck drivers to others whose jobs require frequent travel such as home health care, sales, and shift workers. Therefore, workers in every industry should learn the warning signs of drowsy driving. These signs include:
- Yawning frequently
- Rubbing your eyes often
- Drifting from your lane
- Difficulty focusing
- Not remembering the past few miles driven
- Missing your exit
Are All Car Accidents Covered By Workers’ Compensation?
Despite your best efforts to avoid one, you can end in a car accident. Under Florida’s workers’ compensation statute, workers are generally entitled to obtain workers’ compensation benefits for injuries that occur at work during the scope of employment. However, this can be much more complicated when these injuries occur in a car. These cases are very fact specific and are largely dependent on the circumstances of the injuries. For example, traveling back and forth from work is generally not considered to be within the course of employment. In contrast, an injured worker may be entitled to benefits if he or she was on some special assignment for his or her employer like a business trip or if the injured worker’s employment does not, by its nature, include a fixed place of work. The question it really comes down to is whether the injured worker was furthering the business of the employer at the time of the accident, but what that looks like varies. It is best to obtain the assistance of a competent attorney who can help you determine whether you are able to pursue workers’ compensation benefits.
We Offer the Help You Need.
If you have been injured in a workplace car accident or you have lost a loved one in a workplace car accident, you’ll likely need the help of an experienced legal team to assist you in proving that your injuries occurred in the scope of employment and enable you to obtain the compensation you deserve. As the Miami workers’ compensation attorneys at Payer & Associates, we have the experience you can rely on to help you determine the best route for pursuing any workers’ compensation benefits you are entitled to. Begin by contacting us today for a complimentary consultation to find out what our skilled workers’ compensation attorneys can do for you.
Resource:
nsc.org/road-safety/tools-resources/safe-driving-toolkit
