The recent round of wintery weather in Seattle and throughout the Pacific Northwest has resulted in weather related motor vehicle accidents throughout the region. Ice pellets and freezing rain are conditions that few are used to driving in. While some of the accidents only resulted in damage to property, others cause people to be injured.

One of the people hurt due to the weather is a Washington State Department of Transportation employee. The worker was injured last week while trying to assist other motorists who had been involved in a previous collision. The incident occurred on Interstate 405 near its intersection with Interstate 5, in the morning hours.

Apparently, the worker was struck by the vehicle that had been a part of the first crash when a passing car lost control and slid into that car. The incident caused a portion of the road to be blocked.

The DOT employee was injured in the accident. As a result, according to a spokesperson with the DOT, the worker was transported to Harborview Medical Center for treatment. The nature and extent of the injuries are unknown.

When an employee is injured while working, he or she may be able to obtain workers' compensation benefits. Among other things, these benefits are designed to provide lost wages and medical expenses to the injured party while he or she recovers from the injuries. These benefits are available even if it was the worker's fault that he or she was injured.

Workers' compensation benefits are obtained by filing a claim rather than a lawsuit. It is not always easy to secure them however. Accordingly, anyone seeking them may want to consult a workers' compensation attorney.

Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer, "State DOT worker hurt in icy I-405 crash," Jan. 198, 2012