The police report says who the officer thought caused the crash. What matters for your claim is broader: were you working when it happened, what injuries were documented, what insurance applies, and did your employer try to steer you away from workers' comp.

What should have happened right away: if you were driving for work - heading between jobsites in Sioux Falls, taking a company truck, or running an errand for your boss - your employer should have been told quickly. In South Dakota, injured workers generally must give notice to the employer within 3 business days. If the crash happened on a summer highway run, even somewhere rough like Highway 44 west of Rapid City, that does not make it "your personal insurance problem" just because tourist traffic or a blowout was involved.

What to do now: hire a lawyer now if any of these are true: your boss says "use your own insurance," your workers' comp claim is denied or delayed, you missed work, you may need surgery or physical therapy, or another driver may also be responsible. In a work crash, you can have two claims at once: workers' compensation and a claim against the at-fault driver.

If you only had minor soreness, no missed work, and the case is just vehicle damage, you may not need a lawyer.

What comes next: a good South Dakota injury lawyer should explain whether the case belongs in workers' comp, a third-party injury claim, or both; get wage records and medical records; and tell you the contingency fee in writing before you sign. That fee is usually a percentage of the recovery, plus case costs.

Red flags: no clear fee agreement, pressure to sign immediately, no discussion of South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation procedures, or acting like the police report ends the case. If a workers' comp dispute develops, the formal deadline can become 2 years to file with the Department, which is not a date to drift past.