3 Things To Know About School Bus Drivers And Work Injuries

School bus drivers can be at risk of significant injuries on the job, from injuries in collisions to other types of harm arising out of their employment. When a school bus driver does get hurt at work, are there special steps for seeking compensation? Generally speaking, school bus drivers can be eligible for workers’ compensation just like any other employee as long as they are eligible and follow the necessary steps to seek compensation under Florida law. What do you need to know about school bus drivers and workers’ compensation in South Florida? Our South Florida workers’ compensation lawyers want to provide you with three important things to know about these types of injuries and claims.

1. School Bus Drivers Can Sustain Many Types of Injuries on the Job

School bus drivers can suffer a wide variety of workplace injuries. Many kinds of injuries arise out of collisions involving a school bus and another vehicle. In traffic crashes, school bus drivers can suffer broken bones, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), facial lacerations and disfigurement, organ damage, traumatic amputation, and whiplash. School bus drivers can also be affected by certain types of repetitive motion or repetitive strain injuries. In addition, sometimes school bus drivers can be harmed when fights break out between students on a school bus, or when bus passengers behave in an unruly manner and cause harm to the driver. As long as a school bus driver is working in any of these circumstances, the driver should be eligible to seek workers’ compensation benefits under Florida law.

2. Driver Negligence Will Not Affect Workers’ Compensation

Some collisions involving school buses happen because of the school bus driver’s negligence. It is important for school bus drivers to know that they do not have to worry about their workers’ compensation benefits being reduced due to their own negligence. To be sure, workers’ compensation is a kind of no-fault system, which means that a worker’s negligence will not typically affect that worker’s ability to obtain compensation. There are some exceptions such as in cases where a worker is intoxicated, for example, but these exceptions do not impact most claims involving ordinary negligence.

3. School Bus Drivers Must Follow Steps to Report Their Injury and to Get Medical Attention

Like other injured workers in Florida, school bus drivers must take specific steps in order to be eligible for compensation. A work injury must be reported to the employer within 30 days from the date of the injury. School bus drivers are employed by the school district, but they can often meet the reporting requirement by informing a supervisor about their injury. In addition, school bus drivers must seek medical attention and receive medical care from an approved health care provider in order to be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits in Florida.

Contact a West Palm Beach Workers’ Compensation Attorney

Were you injured while working as a school bus driver? You may be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits, and one of our West Palm Beach workers’ compensation attorneys can help you. Contact the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. today for more information.