Is an employer obligated financially when employee is in a car accident doing an errand on the clock?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Is an employer obligated financially when employee is in a car accident doing an errand on the clock?
My son was asked to drive to do an errand while at work 3 weeks ago. Travel is not part of this job and is normally not an issue but the manager on duty asked him to go. On the way back to work, my son was in a head on collision. While he walked away completely unscathed and uninjured, his car was totaled. We have incurred several thousand dollars in expenses, as we carried no collision coverage on the car, in addition to towing fees, etc. We reached out immediately to the owners of the company, inquiring about whether they would be willing to cover something. We were told that they were consulting their insurance company and would be in touch. We have never heard from them again, and they do not respond to my husband’s text inquiries. Our
feeling is that none of this would have happened if our son was not asked to run this errand, and he was literally punched in and on the clock at the time of the accident. Do we have a case?
Asked on October 12, 2017 under Employment Labor Law, Illinois
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 6 years ago | Contributor
No, you do not have a case. An employer is not liable or responsible for the injuries or car damage an employee of theirs suffers while using his vehicle for work or driving for work. The employer might be liable to third parties (other people) injured or damaged by the employee under the legal theory of "respondeat superior," which holds the employer liable *to third parties* for certain acts of their employee, but that theory does not make them liable or responsible for the employee's own losses or damage. The employer does not function as the employee's insurer to provide him compensation in cases like this. Your son needs to look to his own insurance and/or sue another driver who was at fault in causing the accident and damage.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.