Company Car Crash: Who is to Pay?
Having a company car is a privilege to most, but they also have to travel day in and day out for most of the company’s work. Moving stations to stations may also bring along risks of a car accident along with the confusion: is an employer liable for an employee’s car accident? Let us put an insight into how you can protect your company and your employer’s rights in the light of legal policies.
Generally, companies have insurance for the protection of accidents that are related to work in a company’s car. But unfortunately, if employees were on their personal expedition in the company’s car and were faulty themselves, then they would pay for the accident. However, this can become complicated as it is challenging to identify who is at fault.
It is endorsed to seek legal help from a car accident lawyer to expose the situation if you confront an accident in a company’s car while involved in the company’s work.
Here are some least legal point you ought to know in this issue:
- A scheme to compensate for the car crash of an individual shall be compensated for losses and death to an employee when operating a company vehicle.
- Workers can, however, be accountable if they travel outside their area of work and are at fault for an accident with a company’s vehicle.
- Moving to and from work in a company’s car is not considered as working for office cause.
- An employee may be fired for an accident in a company car if an accident leads to a ruthless behavior or company rules are violated.
The Company Policies For Vehicles
Almost all companies have insurance for the vehicles they provide to their employees. These policies are named after the owner of the company, but the insurance companies take hold of reimbursing not only for the damage caused to the vehicle by the employee in an accident but also for the injuries of the driver, pedestrian, passenger, or cyclist.
On the other hand, in case of severe injuries and damages, the person that would be at fault would be liable to pay. This makes it critical to determine who actually is at fault whether a company car hits you or you are driving a company’s car.
Responsibilities of an Employee and the Employer After the Accident
While the discussion of damage and fault in an accident, both employee and employer are involved. Here, the court generally makes the employer responsible for the employee’s actions if he was within the scope of employment.
Scope of employment: is the area related to the work for the company’s task while traveling in a company’s car. So, if the employee is working within the scope of employment, then the company is responsible for the insurance policies matters, and the employer cannot force the employee for any payment for the loss.
In conclusion, it is eligible for an employee to seek legal help if the company is reluctant to recompense for the damages caused to the car or the driver when the employee was in the company’s car for a company’s task.