Most people find motor vehicle liability insurance confusing to begin with, but when you add an additional complication to a crash, it can be difficult for the average individual to makes sense of who incurs liability and financial responsibility for the injuries and property damage that results.
What people often don’t understand is that their policy doesn’t cover their property damage or medical costs in a crash. Instead, the policy you pay for on your motor vehicle protects you from liability if you cause a crash. Your policy pays out to the other driver in the event that you’re the one responsible for the crash.
When someone else causes the crash, their insurance should cover your costs. However, in the event that you or the other driver were on the job at the time of the crash, you may have to deal with a more complicated, third-party insurance claim and insurers trying to pass responsibility to one another.
Will the business involved have any liability?
The specifics of your situation will impact whether or not the company that employed you or the driver who caused the crash has any responsibility for what happened. Sometimes, such as when an employee on the road drives as part of their daily work, they may have grounds to file a workers’ compensation claim if they get hurt in a crash caused by someone else.
Although the business that hired them isn’t responsible for the accident, the claim can affect how much they pay for workers’ compensation insurance. A successful workers’ compensation claim can also impact what a private insurance company will pay on a claim.
If the person who caused the crash was on the clock making a delivery or otherwise driving for work, you may be able to bring a claim against their employer for your losses and certain situations, such as when insurance does not adequately cover your expenses.
You may need to file a third-party insurance claim
When you make a claim after a crash caused by another driver, you may submit evidence and reimbursement requests directly to your own insurance company. Many insurance carriers will gladly work with their own clients to cover expenses that the company technically has no obligation to pay.
The business does this because they know that they can subrogate the claim to another insurance company. They pay and then send the bill along to the company insuring the other driver. In a complicated situation involving the potential for a workers’ compensation claim and third-party insurance, you may need to be more proactive about how you handle your claim.
Going directly to the other insurance carrier or working with a legal professional who can negotiate with the various insurance carriers on your behalf can improve your chances of getting the compensation you need in a legally complex employment-related car crash.