Most calls we get are from a worker who has just one job and gets hurt while working.  Every now and then we’ll get contacted by someone who has two jobs and gets hurt on their main (full-time) job.  Much rarer, but it happens, is the person that gets hurt while working their part time job.  This can cause problems for them if they are unable to work their full time job.

For the most part these cases are just like any other work injury, but there are a few things you should know:

  1. As long as your part time employer knew that you had another job and didn’t object to you having another job, your wages from both jobs will be paid while you are off work due to your injury.  So if you make $600 a week on your full time job and $300 a week on your part time job, you will get paid from the insurance company as if you earn $900 from that job.
  2. Let’s say you can’t work the full time job, but can work the part time job.  The insurance company will have to pay you for the partial financial loss.
  3. Same would hold true if you can work the full time job, but not the part time job.  This is very common as often doctors want to limit their patients to a 40 hour work week as they recover.
  4. The bad news in these scenarios is that if you miss an extended time from work, you could lose your full time job.  The slight silver lining is that workers’ compensation would have to make a payment related to that loss.
  5. You don’t have any less rights because you were hurt on a part time job.
  6. These cases are often highly scrutinized by insurance companies, especially when there are no witnesses.  They will be doing everything they can to argue that you must be lying and that you were really hurt on your other job.  So it’s very important to document how you got hurt and report it to your employer right away.  Delaying this will cause red flags to pop up and could potentially cause problems with your case.  Insurance companies are always looking for any angle not to pay on a case.  So as always, be honest, but be quick about it as well.

There are some other minor differences, but again, for the most part it’s just like any other case.  So don’t panic, get the medical treatment you need and take things from there.

We are workers’ compensation attorneys who help people with Illinois work injuries anywhere in IL via our statewide network of attorneys. Contact us and we will answer your questions or find the right lawyer for your situation.

By Michael Helfand