Off-Site Work

Chicago Law Firm for Workers’ Compensation Claims From Offsite Work

Many employees must conduct offsite work as part of their jobs. In some cases, they have to travel for business or work on a client’s premises. In others, they need to work remotely because of COVID-19. If you were injured while performing offsite work, you should discuss your situation with the experienced Chicago workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We have represented clients for more than 6 decades and seek the best outcomes for workers’ compensation, personal injury and SSDI claims.

Offsite Work

In most situations, a Chicago worker’s injuries do occur on an employer’s premises. Workers’ compensation is a no-fault system, which means you do not need to establish your employer’s fault for the accident in order to obtain benefits. However, a worker’s injuries are compensable through the workers’ compensation system even when he or she is working offsite, away from the place where the company does business.

In fact, you may even be eligible for compensation during your lunch break if you were acting to further your employer’s purposes. For instance, our lawyers may be able to seek benefits on your behalf if you were meeting with a client over lunch at a restaurant and were injured because of a dangerous property condition; in that instance, we would also look at whether you have a premises liability claim against the restaurant. You could be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits if you were injured while walking to your car when it was in the company parking lot. You may be able to obtain workers’ compensation benefits if you went to an offsite work meeting during lunch and were injured while on your way. You can also get benefits if you were hurt in a paid break.

In Illinois, when you are denied benefits, you should be given a written explanation of the denial. Our Chicago lawyers will look carefully at the explanation to figure out whether the denial is appropriate. It is not appropriate for your employer to deny you benefits simply because your injuries occurred offsite.

However, claims filed for offsite injuries can be complicated. Employers and their insurers may be reluctant to pay claims that may not appear to be clearly within the course of employment when they do not happen at the office, factory, warehouse, construction site or other ordinary place where the employer’s business is conducted. For example, if you are on a business trip and you are rear-ended while driving the company car and suffer a ruptured disc, you may be able to obtain benefits because your trip was for the employer.

Remote workers can also recover benefits when their injuries arose directly from work tasks. However, this can present some difficult questions of proof because as a remote worker, you may be in charge of your environment. For example, if you slip and break your ankle while going to the kitchen for coffee when typing up a report for your boss, are you entitled to workers’ compensation benefits? The insurer would likely argue no if you slipped on a puddle of coffee that you spilled earlier. This is a situation, like many others, in which it would be extremely important to consult us as soon as possible after you sustain injuries.

Third Party Lawsuits

It is critical to retain lawyers who understand how to pursue all the relief that may be available to you. You cannot sue your employer for your work-related injury or illness; you are limited to. workers’ compensation. The only time you may be able to sue your employer for damages is if you are in the small category of Chicago workers who are not covered by workers’ compensation. However, you may be able to sue a third party in a personal injury or product liability lawsuit.

Hire a Chicago Law Firm for Offsite Work Injuries

Our attorneys handle workers’ compensation claims arising out of offsite work in Champaign, Rockford, Quincy, and Aurora, as well as Sangamon, Winnebago, Kane, Cook, and Adams Counties. We also handle third party lawsuits and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) claims. Call us at 312-724-5846 or complete our online form.