When a car accident happens as a person is driving their car while performing specific duties for work or for their employer it is very possible that the employer can be liable for any accidents that occur. If it is a truck driver or the driver of a commercial vehicle that causes an accident in many cases their employer will be the one who receives the lawsuit. Whether or not an employer will be considered liable will depend on if they can assume any responsibility for the incident that occurred.
When Is An Employer Liable For An Accident?
There are three situations when an employer can clearly be held liable for a car accident that is caused by one of their employees.
- Employer Negligence – If the employer willingly hired an employee who should not have been behind the wheel or if they did not take proper care in making sure their employee was a safe driver the employer could be considered liable for any accident that may happen.
- Negligent Supervision – An employer must have safety policies in place for both the protection of the driver and any other vehicles or people out on the road. An employee must follow all state and federal laws for transporting cargo and if the employer does not have systems in place to check that this is the case then the employer would be considered liable for any accidents that occur
- Vicarious Liability – This type of liability does not require that the employer was negligent themselves yet it a type of law that states the actions of the employee are basically the same as the actions of the employer who directed them to do a task. If an employee is driving to the store in order to pick up his employer’s dry cleaning the employer can still be held liable for the accident even though they were not purposely negligent in the events that occurred. They would not be liable if the employee committed certain negligent acts on their own accord however, so each set of circumstances must be examined differently.
If You are Involved in an Accident and it is Possible an Employer may be Liable Contact a Knowledgeable Attorney
When your car is damaged or you are injured in a car accident figuring out who is liable for you situation can become complicated. This is why you need a qualified attorney from the Paris Law Firm to help guide you and get you the compensation that you deserve. Call us at 909-325-6185 or via our online contact form today to schedule an initial case evaluation.
The articles on this blog are for informative purposes only and are no substitute for legal advice or an attorney-client relationship. If you are seeking legal advice, please contact our law firm directly.