Motor vehicle accidents occur every day. They can occur at any time. If you are an employee who works under the employer/boss making deliveries, hauling truckload goods, or transporting passengers, you are at risk of getting Injured in a car accident.
An employer can be held responsible for the damages caused by their employee if he/she was negligent in training or hiring the employee or trusting them with a vehicle.
Can your employer be held responsible for injuries sustained by an employee?
- Workers Compensation
Employers are generally required to carry workers’ compensation insurance to cover employees who are injured on the job. If an employee is injured while performing work-related duties, the employer can be held responsible for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages.
- Negligence
If the employer was negligent, and such negligence caused injury to the employee, the employer can be held liable. For example, if the employer cannot maintain a safe working environment, could not provide proper safety equipment or training, or knew about the hazardous condition and failed to address it, they can be held responsible for the injuries that incur.
- Vicarious liability
Sometimes, an employer can be held liable for the actions of their employees. For example, the employer can be held responsible for the damages if the employee causes an accident while driving the company vehicle or on company business.
An employee acting within the authority scope
An employee acts within the authority’s scope when performing the job’s responsibilities. For example, the employee’s responsibility was to deliver pizza in the company car; they are most likely authorized to use the vehicle to deliver food to the customers’ locations and return the vehicle to the pizza shop after the delivery. If any accident occurs while the employee completes the task their employer ordered them to do, they are “acting within the authorized scope.”
If the delivery employee causes an accident, the victim can sue the employer for the damages the employee caused. If an employee acts outside the scope of their authority, the employer may not be liable for the employee’s actions.
On the other hand, if the delivery person stopped at any other place for other activities before returning the vehicle back to the outlet and causing an accident, then the employee was not acting within the scope of their authority.
However, if the employer ratifies the employee’s actions or if the employee’s actions are within the apparent scope of their authority, the employer may still be held liable for the employee’s actions.
