If your job requires you to travel away from your normal workplace or commute to different sites, you may wonder whether injuries suffered during those trips are covered by workers’ compensation in California. In many cases travel for work is covered but whether your injury qualifies depends on details.
When Work Travel Injuries Are Usually Covered
If you were traveling on behalf of your employer such as going from one job site to another, attending a meeting or conference, or doing business errands away from the office you may be covered.
California law includes a commercial traveler rule that says employees who are traveling in the course of business are considered to be acting within the scope of employment during the travel. This includes typical travel tasks necessary for the trip such as getting meals or lodging.
If your employer directed, required, or benefited from the travel, that also helps your claim. For example being sent to a customer site, traveling between job sites, or running errands for work are more likely to qualify.
When Travel Injuries Are Generally Not Covered
Commuting from your home to your usual work location is generally not covered. This is often called the going and coming rule.
Injuries happening during personal detours or non work errands while traveling for work that are not required or reasonably expected by the employer may not be covered.
What You Should Do If You Think You Qualify
Report the injury to your employer as soon as possible. The report helps establish that the injury was work related.
Get medical attention and keep records of everything, when and where the injury happened, what you were doing, any receipts if you had work related travel expenses.
Preserve evidence like travel schedules, employer instructions, any documents that show the trip was for work.
Talk with a workers’ compensation lawyer to see whether your travel situation meets the commercial traveler rule or another exception.
Hillstone Law can evaluate your case, explain your rights, gather evidence, and help you pursue the benefits you deserve if you were injured while traveling for work.
Note: These blog posts are created solely for the use of Hillstone Law. The information is gathered from internet research, publicly available sources, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT. While we aim to share helpful and educational content, Hillstone Law does not independently verify every detail. Some information may be incomplete, outdated, or subject to change without notice. If you believe any part of a post is inaccurate, misleading, or infringes upon copyright, please contact Hillstone Law immediately so we can review it and take appropriate action, including correction or removal.
Disclaimer: The material provided in these blogs is for general informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. Reading these posts does not create, and is not intended to create, an attorney-client relationship with Hillstone Law. Our intent is to share knowledge, raise awareness, and provide helpful resources to the public; however, Hillstone Law makes no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information provided, and expressly disclaims liability for any actions taken in reliance on it. The photos used in these posts are for illustrative purposes only and do not depict actual clients, individuals, or incidents unless expressly stated. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, please contact Hillstone Law at (855) 691-1691. Our attorneys are available to answer your legal questions and help you understand your rights.
