In many injury cases, fault makes a tremendous difference as to who you can hold liable for your injuries. That isn’t how car accidents are handled here in Pennsylvania, though as our state subscribes to the no-fault insurance doctrine. A motorist would generally file a claim with their own insurance to recover compensation irrespective of fault.
Even still, many Pennsylvania workers assume that they wouldn’t qualify for workers’ compensation benefits if they were to set up a ladder at the wrong angle and then it tipped over while they were working. They’d assume that since an error that they made resulted in them getting hurt, they wouldn’t qualify for workers’ compensation benefits. That’s not necessarily the case, though.
Fault does not make a difference
The short answer is that no, fault does not matter. It generally makes no difference in workers’ comp cases. Benefits can be paid to an injured employee regardless of fault.
Remember that half of the point of workers’ comp is to keep employees from suing employers when they get hurt at work. Instead of being forced to sue, as you may be after a car accident, you can count on getting workers’ comp after a proven on-the-job injury. Your employer also doesn’t have to worry about getting sued but must have workers’ comp insurance to cover the costs. This system, in theory, helps to protect both employers and employees in different ways.
That doesn’t mean your case won’t be complicated, and a workers’ comp claim can still be denied. You need to know exactly what steps to take to get the benefits you deserve after you get hurt on the job in any industry.
