Car Accidents in Company Vehicles: Determining Liability

ny jobs put <

ef="https:

inju

yvictims.como

ted-c

–

ccidents

“>employees behind the

heel of

comp

ny vehicle<>. Fo

some jobs, like

delive

y d

ive

, the m

ity of the

k is done in the c

. Fo

othe

s, like

les

esent

tive, d

iving might be mo

e incident

l to thei

y-to-d

y job. Being t

usted

ith

comp

ny vehicle is often seen

t pe

k of

job, s

ving the employee f

om putting miles of

nd te on thei

n vehicle. But this benefit c

n quickly tu

n into

den if you get into

ccident. No m

tte

the

mount of time spent d

iving

comp

ny vehicle, it’s bound to be confusing

nd st

essful

hen you get into

ccident.

ddition to the immense medic

nd fin

nci

l st

esses

fte c

ccident, employees often

bout thei

employe

’s

ction to the

ccident.

n employee might

lso st

uggle to fully unde

nd thei

options foecove

hich nge f

s’ compens

tion to

lsuit

inst

negligent d

ive

d on to unde

nd mo

bout you

employee

ights

esponsibilities

fte c

ccident in

comp

ny vehicle

nd ho

to pu

sue

ecove

y fo

you

inju

ies. Fo

e info

tion

bout you

unique situ

tion, cont

ccident

tto

ney tod

y fo f

ee consult

tion.

Ho
Common

e Comp
ny C
ccidents?

Moto

vehicle

ccidents h

ppen ve

y f

equently. In just one ye, the

e mo

e th

ef=”https://

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"> 33,000 f

l<> moto

vehicle

ccidents in the United St

tes

nd mo

e th

ef="https:

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fe-tvelo

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fety-f

cts/” t

get=”_bl

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el=”noopene

"> 4.4 million<> inju

ies c

used by c

ccidents. T

nspo

tion incidents cost employe

ef="https:

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ult

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tions

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el="nofollo

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"> $60 billion

nnu

lly<> in medic

l c

e, leg

l expenses, p

ope

ty d

ge,

nd lost p

oductivity. E

ch c

sh costs

n employen

ge of $16,500; inju

y cshes cost

vege of $74,000;

nd f

lities cost

ge of $500,000 in

ddition to the inc

lcul

ble costs of lives fo

eve

lost. The N

tion

l Census of F

l Occup

tion

l Inju

ies found th

t the

ef=”https://

.bls.gov

ele

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“> 2,122

ted > tnspo

tion incidents in 2019

lone. This

esented the most signific

nt inc

se in incidents since the Bu

u of L

tistics beg

n tcking the d

. Tnspo

tion incidents

ccounted fo

the lgest she of

ted f

lities in 2019 by mo

e th

n 1,000 incidents. (F

lls, slips,

nd t

ip incidents

mounted to the second-highest c

use

ith 880 incidents.) Jobs

nd indust

ies th

t commonly use comp

ny vehicles include:

-level=”1″>Comme
ci
l t
uck d
ive
s<
li>
i
-level="1">S
les
i
-level="1">Delive
y d
ive
s
i
-level="1">Se
vice p
ovide
s (technici
ns, house cle
ne
s, pest cont
ol technici
ns, c
ble inst
ll
tion, etc.)

The Occup

tion

l S

fety

nd He

lth

dminist

tion (OSH

) encouges

ll employe

ho p

ovide comp

ny vehicles to

lso p

ovide

ive

fety p

ogm to fostepp

te d

ivettitudes, imp

ove beh

vio

nd inc

se skills. Unfo

tun

tely, not eve

y employe

s committed to s

fety

s they should be.

ho Is
esponsible?

fte

the comme

l vehicle

ccident, fi

st you’ll need to unde

nd if

ny pty’s negligent o

intention

ct c

used the

ccident.

ho is

t f

ult?

-level=”1″> ong>Othe
d
ive
: ong> If
nothe
d
ive
’s negligent
cts c
used the
ccident, they could be held
esponsible. Viol
tion of
tffic l oegul
tion c
n be compelling evidence of negligence, including speeding, f
ilu
e to heed
t

ffic sign o
sign
l, o
d
iving unde
the influence of d
ugs o

lcohol.
i
-level="1">ong>M
nuf
ctu
e
: ong> If the comp
ny vehicle m
lfunctioned due to
f
ulty pt, the
uto p

ts m
nuf
ctu
e
m
y be
esponsible fo
the
ccident.
i
-level="1">ong>Employee o
Employe
: ong> If the employee’s negligent
ct c
used the
ccident, you
ill need to conside
some
ddition
l f
cto
s befo
e dete
mining
ho m
y be
esponsible. If the employee s
cting in the scope of thei
job duties
t the time of the
ccident, the employe
m
y be held
esponsible.
n
ct is only in the cou
se of the employee’s employment if it s
utho
ized by the employe
o
closely
el
ted to
n
utho
ized
ct. If, ho
eve
, the employee s using the comp
ny vehicle to
un pe
son
l e
nds, the employee
em
ins the potenti
l pty
esponsible fo
the
ccident.
ddition
lly, employe
s e
esponsible fo
p
ope
ly inspecting
nd m
int
ining
ll of the comp
ny vehicles in thei
fleet. If they f
il to pe
fo
m this
outine m
inten
nce
nd they ove
look
s
fety issue, they m
y be held
esponsible.<
li>

fte

the

ccident, be su

e to <

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

police-dete

mine-f

ult-in-c

–

ccident

“>c

ll the police to the scene<>. The police

ill p

epe

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

police-dep

tment-

ccident-

epo

“>police

epo

t > th

ill document key evidence f

om the

ccident, including photos of the

ccident scene,

itness info

tion,

ny cit

tions issued fo

tffic viol

tions. If you c

n’t c

ll the police to the scene, t

y to collect

s much of this evidence

s possible by sn

pping photos

ith you

phone.

emembe

: d

ive

e not the only ones

ho c

n c

use

ccident. You should

lso conside

ny vehicle m

lfunction o

ck of upkeep by the loc

l gove

nment. Vehicle m

nuf

ctu

s e

esponsible fo

oducing s

fe vehicles th

e f

ee f

om defects,

ny defect th

t c

uses

ccident o

cont

ibutes to

n inju

y c

n be conside

ed to be the

esponsibility of the m

nuf

ctu

. Similly, the loc

l gove

nment is

esponsible fo

the m

inten

nce of

nd t

ffic sign

ls. If

stop sign h

s f

llen, c

using

ccident, the loc

l gove

nment m

y be

t f

ult. Cl

ims

inst m

nuf

ctu

nd gove

nment entities e inc

edibly complic

ted, so it is

ecommended you

k closely

ith youtto

ney to ev

te the likelihood of

ecove

ho P
ys fo
My Inju
ies?

t ou

e unde

nd one of the questions th

ill

eigh he

viest on you

mind

fte

ccident is “

ho is

esponsible fo

the costs of my inju

ies?” Inju

ies

nging f

om mild to seve

e commonly

esult f

om c

ccidents. You

st p

ity

fte

ccident should be to secu

e immedi

te medic

l t

tment. Not only is this impo

nt fo

you

lth, but it helps ensu

e th

t the defend

nt c

nnot cl

im th

ny del

y cont

ibuted to you

inju

ies.

Common inju

ies

fte

ccident include:

-level=”1″> ong>He
d inju
ies:<
st
ong> He
d inju
ies e common
fte

c
ccident.
p
ssenge
could be ejected f
om
vehicle c
using
blo
to the he
d, o
they might st
ike thei
he
d on
d
shbo

d o
othe
object in the c

. He
d l
ce

tions o
concussions e
lso common.
i
-level="1">ong><
h
ef=”https://c

inju
yvictims.comh
t-is-
-bin-inju
y/”>T

um
tic bin inju
ies >:<
st
ong> In
ddition to he
d inju
ies, some victims suffe

t

um
tic bin inju
y (TBI). The symptoms of
TBI e vied
nd depend on the loc
tion
nd seve
ity of imp
ct to the he
d. TBI symptoms include physic
l, senso
y,
nd cognitive effects
nd c
n
esult in
com
o
b

in de
th.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Spin
l inju
ies: ong> The spin
l co
d is the bundle of ne
ves th
t
llo
s the bin to communic
te
ith the body. The effect of
spin
l co
d inju
y
ill depend on
hich e
of the spin
l co
d is inju
ed, but the symptoms nge f
om numbness to tot
l p
lysis.
i
-level="1">ong>B
oken bones
nd f

ctu
es:<
st
ong> B
oken bones
ill limit
victim’s mobility
nd
bility to m
n
ge d
y-to-d
y
ctivities. If
b
e
k is seve
e, it <
h
ef="https:
/c

inju
yvictims.com
su
ge
y-
fte
–
n-
uto-
ccident
“>
ill
equi
e su
ge
y<> o
ongoing
eh
bilit
tion.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Inte
n
l o
g
n d
m
ge: ong>
ny blo
to the body h
s the potenti
l to c
use d
m
ge to inte
n
l o
g
ns including the he

t, lungs,
nd kidneys. Inte
n
l o
g
n d
m
ge c
n be difficult to di
gnose bec
use symptoms

e often del
yed, but f
ilu
e to t
e
t these inju
ies c
n h
ve seve
e consequences. This is
hy
p
ompt medic
l ex
min
tion is impetive
fte

ny c
ccident.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>F
ci
l
nd Dent
l Inju
ies:<
st
ong> If
p
ssenge
st
ikes thei
f
ce on
h

d su
f
ce, they h
ve the potenti
l to suffe
f
ci
l inju
ies (like
b
oken j

) o
dent
l inju
ies (like ccked teeth.) M
ny f
ci
l inju
ies
equi
e pl
stic su
ge
y to
ep
i
.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Cuts, b
uises,
nd sp

ins: ong>
hile these

e commonly thought of
s su
f
ce inju
ies, they still h
ve the potenti
l to dis
upt the victim’s d
y-to-d
y life o
le
ve visible scs.<
li>

No m

tte

you

inju

ies, if you

ccident

s c

used by

nothe

negligent d

ive

ohile you

e on the job, you m

y h

im.

ith you

tto

ney to len mo

bout

t d

ges you m

y be eligible to

ecove

Unde

nding

ecove

y is complic

ted in

comp

ny vehicle

ccident c

se bec

use

kpl

ce inju

ies

e h

ndled th

ough

s’ compens

tion. E

ch st

te’s

s’ compens

tion scheme h

s diffe

ent p

ocedul

equi

ements

nd p

ovides diffe

ent benefits, including medic

l expenses

nd tempo

nd pe

nent dis

bility p

yments.

tto

ney

ill help you n

vig

te the

s’ compens

tion p

ocess to help ensu

e you

eceive the benefits you dese

ve.

hile

s’ compens

tion does not p

ovide

ecove

y fo

in inju

ies (such

s loss of enjoyment of life), it does not

equi

e p

oof of negligence.

If you

e not

cting in the cou

se of you

employment duties

t the time of the

ccident, you

ill need to p

ove th

nothe

ty’s negligence c

used the

ccident

nd you

inju

ies. This is often the c

se: studies h

ve sho

n th

ef="https:

.insuncebusinessm

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comme

utoepo

t-60-of-comp

ny-vehicle-

ccidents-occu

-on-pe

son

l-time-99358.

spx” t

get=”_bl

nk"

el=”nofollo

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“> 60% of comp

ny c

ccidents > occu

ing

n employee’s pe

son

l time.

In th

t situ

tion, you m

y seek

ecove

y foll you

ges, including:

i
-level="1">ong>Medic
l expenses:<
st
ong> The
t-f
ult pty c
n be held fin
nci
lly
esponsible fony medic
l expenses incu

ed
hile m
n
ging you
inju
ies
fte
the
ccident, including eme
gency tnspo
t
tion, su
gic
l p
ocedu
es, docto
s’ visits,
nd hospit
l st
ys. The defend
nt c
n
lso be held
esponsible fo
futu
e medic
l expenses, including
ssistive devices like heelch
i
oeh
bilit
tion thepy.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Lost income: ong> M
ny inju
ies
equi
e the victim to miss
o
k oo
k

educed schedule. The victim dese
ves compens
tion fo
these lost ges. If you h
ve not yet
etu
ned to
o
k, include the cost of futu
e lost ges
nd lost e

ning potenti
l in you
d
m
ges dem
nd.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>P
ope
ty d
m
ge: ong> If you
e
e d
iving
comp
ny vehicle, you
ill not h
ve to
oy
bout the costs of
d
m
ged vehicle. Ho
eve
, this does not me
n you h
ve not suffe
ed p
ope
ty d
m
ge. If you h
ve othe
pe
son
l p
ope
ty th
t h
s been d
m
ged, such
s elect
onics, seek
ecove
y fo
the cost of
ep
i
o

epl
cement.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Emotion
l dist
ess: ong>
moto
vehicle
ccident c
n be
h
o
ing event, often le
ving the victim suffe
ing f
om se
ious emotion
l dist
ess such
s dep
ession,
nxiety, o
<
h
ef=”https://
.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
pmc/

ticles/PMC5779792/”
el="nofollo
“>post-t

um
tic st
ess diso
de
>. Comp
ny vehicle
ccidents e often
ccomp
nied by
n ext

level of dist
ess given the potenti
l neg
tive imp
cts on thei

o
k life.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Loss of enjoyment: ong> People’s lives e m
de bette
by pticip
tion in
ctivities th
t b
ing them joy. Tgic
lly, m
ny inju
ies limit
victim’s
bility to continue p

ticip
ting in these
ctivities. Fo
ex
mple,
victim
ho loves to pl
y
n inst
ument
ill lose th
t option completely if they suffe
i

ep
ble d
m
ge to thei
h
nd. The victim dese
ves compens
tion fo
the void this c
e
tes in thei
life.<
li>
i
-level="1">ong>Punitive d
m
ges: ong> Most d
m
ges e me
nt to compens
te the victim fo
thei
inju
ies, but the exception to this is the

d of punitive d
m
ges. Punitive d
m
ges

e intended to punish the defend
nt fo
eg
egiously b
d
ctions. E
ch st
te h
s its o
n
ules fo
ding punitive d
m
ges,
nd some c
p the
mount.

Befo

e pu

suing

ny of these d

ges, you need to kno

the full extent of you

inju

ies. This

mount

ill be conside

ed by the ju

y du

ing

y t

l, but it

ill

lso be helpful

s you

ssess

ny settlement offe

om the defend

nt on insunce p

ovide

ough

s’ compens

tion. Do not

ccept

ny settlement offeithout fi

st discussing it

ith youtto

ney.

n initi

l settlement offe

y be signific

ntly beloh

t you dese

ve.

ccepting

settlement offe

n often be the best move, but only if it

tely compens

tes you b

sed on the extent of you

inju

ies

nd the st

ength of you

se. You

ill

lso need to t

ction p

omptly. St

tes

equi

e th

t pl

intiffs file lsuits

ithin

set de

dline c

lled the st

tute of limit

tions. The de

dline v

ies f

om st

te to st

nd c

n nge f

om one to five ye

hile this m

y seem like

lot of time, it

ill p

ss quickly

s you de

ith you

inju

ies

nd p

ll the evidence needed to file you

se.

tto

ney

ill

ith you to file

ny cou

t documents on time, p

ese

ving you

bility to pu

sue the

ecove

y you dese

ve.

Cont
ct
n Expe
ienced
tto
ney Tod
y

You’

e not

lone in this.

n expe

ienced <

ef=”https://c

inju

yvictims.com

vices

–

ccident-

tto

ney-houston

“>c

ccident

tto

ney<> c

n be

itic

l ptnes you seek

ecove

fte

ccident in

comp

ny vehicle. Youtto

ney c

n help you

ssess you

nd develop

tegy to obt

in the compens

tion you

e entitled to. This

ill include

ssessing li

bility, unde

nding

hethe

you should seek

ecove

y th

ough

s’ compens

tion, m

ging communic

tion

ith the othe

pties,

nd helping to ensu

e you

eceive the

ecove

y you deserve.

Ho Common e Comp ny C ccidents?

ho Is esponsible?

ho Pys fo My Injuies?

Cont ct n Expe ienced tto ney Tody

Testimonials

Read More

Ho
Common

e Comp
ny C
ccidents?

ho Is
esponsible?

ho P
ys fo
My Inju
ies?

Cont
ct
n Expe
ienced
tto
ney Tod
y