Injured by Someone on the Job
If you are in a car accident, make sure to find out if the other driver was using his or her personal car while working. Employers allow employees use personal vehicles for short-term business errands — like picking up last minute office supplies or running to the bank for a deposit. In such cases, you will need a lawyer to help you determine the full extent of compensation possible.
Large corporations have deep pockets. So for example, if you were in a car accident with a teenage driver, he or she could be on an errand (to the bank, for example) for his or her fast food employer. The teenage driver might not even know that the employer is therefore responsible for the financial losses caused by the accident. This teenager might only be able to offer you information about his or her personal insurance. And that insurance could be minimum coverage.
Worse yet, the driver might not have any insurance at all. And while you can always sue to collect wages for up to 20 years, that’s a long time to wait to be fully compensated for your losses due to medical bills and lost income.
However, if the driver was running to the bank to make a daily deposit for the employer (more common than you might realize), then the employer becomes responsible for your losses. And large corporations have insurance policies that can cover millions of dollars in losses. So instead of fighting for compensation through the minimum wage income from the driver, you and your lawyer will be able to use the corporation’s insurance policy for immediate payment on your current and projected losses.
