Medical Benefits for Injured Amazon Flex Drivers

Workers’ Compensation Lawyers for Chicago Area Residents

Amazon Flex drivers are at risk for a broad range of injuries while on the job. They may sustain injuries in motor vehicle accidents, or suffer harm while walking to a door to deliver a package. Accidents in which they’re involved may or may not be their fault. If you are wondering if you are eligible for medical benefits as an injured Amazon Flex driver, our firm may be able to help. At Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca, our compassionate Chicago workers’ compensation attorneys can review your case and help you determine what your legal options are after you have been hurt on the job.

Medical Benefits for Injured Amazon Flex Drivers

Whether you are eligible for workers’ compensation benefits depends on your employment status; employees are eligible for coverage, whereas independent contractors are not. If you are able to establish that you are an Amazon employee, you should be able to access benefits after a work injury.

If you have been hurt on the job, your first step should be to seek medical care as soon as you can. You should work with doctors and follow any prescribed treatment so that you can go back to work, if that’s possible. You should let the doctor know that your treatment is for a work-related injury so the doctor knows to bill the employer and its insurer.

You should also provide your employer with written notice as soon as possible after a work accident, but definitely within 45 days to qualify for benefits. You risk losing benefits if you don’t give proper notice of your injury to an employer. You should not assume that your employer knows you were injured in an accident. Your written notice should let the employer know the date and place of the accident. For example, if you were in a collision with another vehicle in a neighborhood where you were making a delivery and you sustained injuries, you should let your employer know details such as the intersection and date of the collision. A skilled workers’ compensation lawyer can help you ensure that you include all necessary details in your written notice.

Workers’ compensation benefits can include reasonable medical care needed to treat or relieve an injury’s impact. Employees who suffer a job-related injury should have the entirety of their medical bills covered and paid. These medical benefits encompass things like medications, appointments, surgery, and physical therapy.

Choosing a Provider

An insurer or employer can’t require you to see a specific the doctor to treat you for a work injury. However, employers may have a Preferred Provider Program and mandate you select a doctor from their network. If they do, you have two choices; if you don’t like the first doctor you select, you can choose a second. Included in a single selection is a referral from that particular doctor. For example, if you choose your primary care physician as your first choice to treat your work injury and she refers you to an orthopedic surgeon, this constitutes a single selection. It is possible to opt out of the network, but in that case you only have a single choice.

It’s important to be careful in your selections, especially since employers and insurers sometimes suggest health care providers they know are likely to be conservative in their medical care, and this may not be in your best interest.

Third Party Claims for Vehicle Accidents

If you were injured in a vehicle accident with a third party, you may be able to recover damages in a personal injury lawsuit. Where the accident was caused by a negligent driver, you’ll need to establish the following elements: (1) the other driver’s duty of care to you, (2) breach of the duty of care, (3) causation, and (4) damages. When liability can be established, you may be able to obtain compensatory damages, including economic losses such as medical care. Through a personal injury lawsuit, you can also recover noneconomic losses arising out of your injuries, such as monetary amounts for pain and suffering.

Chicago Attorneys for Workers’ Compensation Claims

If you have questions about medical benefits for injured Amazon Flex drivers in Chicago, you can discuss your situation with the seasoned workers’ compensation lawyers of Katz, Friedman, Eisenstein, Johnson, Bareck & Bertuca. We can represent workers in Champaign, Quincy, Rockford, and Aurora, as well as throughout Kane, Cook, Adams, Winnebago, and Sangamon Counties. Contact us at 312-724-5846, or via our online form.