Handling Accidents With A Company Issued Vehicle

Accidents happen every day, and they are difficult enough as it is. The moment misfortune decides to visit you and have you suffered to the trials and tribulations of a car accident, your day becomes disrupted, and that is if you are lucky. Usually, the consequences of this debacle end up taking more than just a day, as they sometimes end up taking months to resolve. Though car accidents are no walk in the park and not at all fun to deal with, they are however trumped by car accidents in company-issued vehicles. 

These types of accidents come with a load of inconvenience and are an absolute pain to deal with. 

Things to do

Now, if an employee gets into an accident in a company-issued car, things may get complicated. Apart from the obvious mishap of an injured employee, the vehicle itself may have probably gotten wrecked, there is more to it.

Ensure the safety of your employees

Generally, any company must ensure the safety of its employees. This is to be done before anything else. Typically, the company will show its concern by affording medical treatment to the injured employee. Medical examinations are to be done to make sure the injuries are not profound or critical. 

Hire an attorney

After the company has made sure that their employee is safe and in good health, they should expect to hire an attorney. This is an employer’s responsibility towards their employees, seeing as how the accident has occurred in a company-issued vehicle. The aim is to remove any suspicion or fault of both, the employee and the company. To ensure that this is done in the best way, it is advisable that the company hires a reputable attorney. By doing so, the company would look to hold the at-fault driver responsible. The legal wizards at Hamparyan explain that you should hire an attorney if you’ve been in a car accident since they can file a third-party liability insurance claim or a civil suit to get you the money you need. This will allow your employees and company to focus on other matters, such as physical and emotional recovery.   

The attorney will also work beyond just filing for a claim, as they will also instruct and guide you through the next phase, which is knowing your responsibilities. For instance, if the accident involved your truck driver, who was working during business hours and they failed to apply the brake at a red light, the liability is then removed from the employee and falls onto the employer. 

Insurance company

Contacting your insurance company as soon as the accident takes place is what the employer should expect to do. This is mandatory, as the employer will be able to get a clear sense of the damages they are looking at and the coverage the insurance allows. By doing so, you will be able to get your compensation as early as possible, which you may then use in paying for the hospital bills that will be incurred. A lawyer will help with fulfilling this, making sure that they collect the needed evidence to strengthen your claim.

Preserve your reputation by taking safety measures

As an employer, one of the things you must do is make sure that your employee was not driving under the influence of any drugs or in an intoxicated state. If they were, this could then damage everything your company’s reputation. However, if they were not, then they become eligible for worker’s compensation, which is filed for through the insurance company.

Liability

With accidents involving company issued vehicles, liability may become difficult to decide. However, most courtrooms and judges see that it is the superior’s responsibility, calling it the principle of respondeat superior. Though, this depends on whether or not the employee was acting within the “scope of employment”, which is even more difficult to decide. This generally means, if the employee was performing a work-related task during the incident, then this removes any liability from them. However, each state’s courtroom may be susceptible to the circumstances under which the employee has gotten into an accident and they will absolve the employer of any liability if it is proven that the employee was running a personal errand during the accident.  

Handling accidents are never found enjoyable, seeing as how it deals with a very traumatic experience. They come with many difficulties, which include determining liability. However, usually, a company will take liability and hope to reduce the magnitude of this type of incident. Though, this can only be achieved with the help of an attorney, seeing as how they will guide you through it all without you having to carry the weight and worries of this catastrophe.