A car accident can be disorienting, so assigning fault right after can be difficult. In most cases, the people involved assume the responsible parties include the at-fault driver, the vehicle manufacturer, and maybe the property owner.
However, most people overlook the owner of the car the at-fault driver was driving. This can be an employee driving a company car that caused the accident in some cases. An Atlanta car accident lawyer can help you get compensation from the at-fault parties.
Vicarious liability means that the employer is responsible for damages and injuries that their employees cause. The law would come into effect if the damages were caused during their work duties. Besides car accidents involving company vehicles, this can include on-premise accidents. For example, if a store worker dropped items while stocking shelves and caused an accident, their employer will be responsible for compensating the victims.
There are two main reasons behind vicarious liability:
Under vicarious liability, employees cannot be sued for damages they caused during their work duties, even if they were negligent. The logic behind this is that employees do their jobs at their employer’s behest – if they had trained their workers better or supervised them closely, the accident may not have happened.
If you are injured because of a car accident caused by a driver driving a company car, suing them is not a sound decision. They may not have the money or resources to compensate you, but their employers will. Holding their employers accountable with help from a professional Atlanta car accident lawyer can ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Employers can only be held liable if the accident caused injuries or damages while the worker was on company time or during their work duties. For instance, if a delivery driver runs into a bicyclist while delivering packages, they are protected. However, if an office worker hits someone on their way to work with their car, they can be held liable for damages since driving the car is not part of their job.
Similarly, if a delivery driver got into an accident when they took the company’s delivery van on a joy ride, they can be held liable for their actions. In either case, hiring a competent Atlanta car accident attorney should be their priority. Their employer may still be partly liable since their responsibility is to screen new workers and supervise existing ones.
You have just a few years to sue the at-fault parties for the car accident that took so much away from you. File your claim as soon as possible to ensure you get compensated for damages. At Shani O.Brooks P.C., we represent injured car accident victims in Atlanta and across Georgia. We have years of experience helping victims like you get justice and can tell you how much your case is worth. If you or a loved one was injured in an accident, get in touch with us today for a confidential consultation.