You were out running an errand when you are involved in a car crash. It turns out that the driver of the car that hit you was texting, conducting official business for the job. The driver was paying more attention to the text messages than to the task of driving, and he or she never saw you coming.
A company may be held responsible for employees’ negligent actions while they are on company time and while performing the duties of their job. For example, if an employee borrowed the boss’ car to run to an errand, and ended up crashing into another car because he or she was on the phone, the employer may be liable for the injuries and property damage that employee caused in the crash.
Employers often have the expectation that their employees will respond instantaneously to texts, email messages and phone calls throughout the day during work hours and often after hours. When employees must drive as a part of their work obligations, it is vital that employers develop company safety policies regarding cell phone use while driving.
Distracted driving dangers
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 3,477 people were killed and 391,000 were injured in distracted driving crashes in 2015. In Oklahoma in 2014 14 people died and 637 were injured in traffic crashes involving a distracted driver.
Urging corporate America to ban handheld phones while driving on company time
A story on CNN.com describes how David Teater decided to take action about distracted driving when he lost his 12-year-old son to a distracted driver. Teater decided to focus on encouraging companies to institute bans on cell phone use while driving as a company policy. Not only would the policy save lives, it would raise awareness about the dangerous behavior. He knew that if you encourage companies with thousands of employees to ban the use of cell phones while driving at work, that message might also impact the employees in their private lives, and help to make a significant contribution to safety on the road.
If you have been injured in a car accident, you never know if another party aside from the driver at fault might also be held responsible. Working with an experienced Oklahoma car accident attorney will get you the answers you need about proceeding with your injury claim.
After an injury from a car accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may have questions about how much your case may be worth, and whether you might be able to recover compensation for your injuries. At Stipe Law Firm, we can help. You are welcome to call a skilled McAlester car accident attorney will review your case and give you legal guidance based on your case. For a free consultation, call (918) 505-7741 or contact us today.