Work-Related Car Accidents

Being involved in a work-related car accident often leads to a more complex aftermath, including certain necessary legal proceedings. Sometimes these types of collisions occur in rental cars when employees travel for work or use a different vehicle for job purposes, which may further complicate matters. The Miami car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon have experience assisting victims of work-related crashes with recovering compensation from liable parties. Our firm represents people throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties, as well as elsewhere across South Florida. If you have been injured in a work-related car accident, either when you were engaged in work activities or another motorist was at the time, you may be able to pursue a personal injury case against various parties responsible for your harm. To find out more about your legal rights and options, contact our office today to set up a free consultation with one of our attorneys.

If a victim is engaged in work activities, or another driver is on the job when an accident occurs, the nature of any legal action may change. For instance, if the victim was working at the time of the collision, workers’ compensation benefits may be available from their employer. However, workers’ compensation benefits usually only cover economic damages sustained in an accident, such as medical expenses, while excluding noneconomic benefits, such as pain and suffering. In a situation in which a third party, which is not the victim’s employer, is at fault for a collision, an injured worker can file a personal injury case against the responsible party as well.

Personal injury claims are based on negligence in causing the accident. Victims must prove that a defendant has breached a duty of reasonable care and that the breach caused the victim’s injuries, resulting in damages. For example, a driver speeding in a residential area in order to make a delivery on time, who strikes another vehicle or pedestrian, would be found to have acted unreasonably and therefore negligently. In addition to holding an employee-driver liable for an accident caused by their own negligence, employers can also be held vicariously liable. Employers are responsible for negligent acts or omissions by their employees when those acts occur during the course and scope of employment. ‘During the course of employment’ refers to an employee carrying out a task on behalf of an employer, such as an employee driving to deliver a pizza as part of their job, in contrast to a delivery driver on the way home from work and no longer on the clock.

In some circumstances, employers may be directly liable for an employee’s negligence. Employers are required to make reasonable decisions regarding the qualifications of their employees in hiring and training them. When a business fails to undertake proper background checks regarding an employee’s driving record, or it fails to adequately train employees, employers can be responsible for the negligent hiring, training, or supervision of employees. If negligence is shown, victims may recover compensation in the form of past and future medical expenses, property loss, diminished earning capacity, lost wages, and pain and suffering, depending on the severity of an injury.

Car accidents can leave the victims involved seriously and sometimes permanently injured. When these collisions occur while a victim is on the job, or when they involve another person working at the time, many questions regarding who is responsible may arise. The Miami lawyers at the Law Offices of Robert Dixon assist people in Miami, West Palm Beach, and other cities with answering these questions and any others that they have about the legal process. If you have been involved in a work-related car accident, call 877.499.4878 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation about your case.