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Our Experienced Birmingham Attorneys Help Victims Of Company Vehicle Accidents In Central Alabama
When you’ve been involved in a car accident in Birmingham with a corporation’s car or truck, determining who’s responsible for your damages can be tricky. If you were seriously injured in the company vehicle crash, you may be entitled to substantial monetary compensation. However, determining who’s to blame and collecting the compensation to which you are legally entitled is not easy and will probably require the assistance of skilled Birmingham car accident attorney.
Complications That Can Arise After A Company Vehicle Accident In Birmingham, Alabama
The corporation that owns the car is legally responsible for your Alabama company vehicle accident, right? Not necessarily.
Certain complex federal and Alabama laws dictate whether the company or driver is responsible when you’ve been in a collision with a company car. So, collecting your rightful monetary compensation from the company whose vehicle collided with your vehicle can be confusing. In particular, the federal and state laws concerning “vicarious liability” generally hold companies responsible for the acts of their employees ONLY while those employees are performing job-related tasks. Under certain conditions, the driver of the company vehicle may be held responsible instead.
Moreover, even if the employee was doing job-related work, when a DUI, speeding or another crime causes an accident, the company still might not be considered liable.
Keep in mind that proving fault in an Alabama company car accident is not usually that simple. As an injured victim of a company vehicle accident, you may not be certain who is to blame, how to file your insurance claim, or whether and how you should pursue a personal injury civil lawsuit in an Alabama court.
Who Is Monetarily Responsible For My Alabama Company Vehicle Accident?
It’s complicated. Numerous factors determine who is liable for your injuries and financial losses in a company car accident. The specific situation and circumstances that led to the accident must be investigated and assessed before liability can be proven.
Here’s why establishing fault isn’t always so clear-cut: Under Alabama’s hiring laws, an employer must exercise due diligence in hiring practices. For instance, if a job applicant has been previously convicted of a DUI but the employer hired them anyway, the employer can be held responsible in a civil suit when the employee later caused a drunk driving accident. However, if the employee had no previous record of DUI and caused the accident because they were drunk, the company may not be responsible. While it may seem like common sense to then hold the employee responsible for a DUI accident, this is always how it works.
Birmingham, Alabama, Company Vehicle Accident Scenarios
Off-the-clock company vehicle accidents: Many companies allow their employees to use a company vehicle when not on-the-clock. If the employee gets in an accident during personal use of the car, the employee may be liable for any damages. In that case, the employee’s personal auto insurance policy should cover financial damages. However, this is not an absolute.
Commercial truck accidents: To ensure that the public is safe from the greater hazards of accidents caused by a commercial truck, trucking companies and their drivers are held to a higher standard when it comes to road and highway safety. In addition to being expected to employ responsible, adequately trained and proper CDL-licensed drivers, both the company and the truck operator are generally responsible for mechanical maintenance, equipment safety and safe loading. When a truck’s brakes fail or cargo flies off the truck and causes an accident, both the company and the driver may be held responsible for your damages due to improper inspection and maintenance before the truck went on the road.
Rental cars: When you’ve been injured in an accident with a rental car in Alabama, determining the party at fault may be simpler. If the driver caused the rental car accident, the rental car customer is probably responsible for the accident. However, if the accident was caused by a mechanical failure like faulty brakes, the car rental company can potentially be held liable. That’s because rental car companies have a duty to keep their vehicles in good working order and repair any problems with the vehicles when those problems are related to a manufacturer’s recall. Additionally, the car manufacturer may be held legally responsible in a product liability lawsuit.
As you can see, determining fault for a company vehicle accident in Alabama so that you can collect rightful monetary compensation is often a complex and confusing endeavor. To help you through the process, the Birmingham auto accident attorneys at Salter Ferguson are available to assist you 24/7.
The Powerful Birmingham Attorney Team At Salter Ferguson Law Brings Over 30 Years Of Experience To Monetary Settlement Wins For Those Injured In Company Vehicle Accidents
Our experienced company vehicle accident attorneys will fight with the insurance company to win a fair monetary settlement for your injuries, pain and suffering, and financial losses, both present and future, stemming from a company vehicle accident in Alabama.
The attorneys at Salter Ferguson, LLC, represent the Central Alabama neighborhoods of Birmingham-Hoover, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Tuscaloosa, Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, Decatur, Auburn-Opelika and surrounding areas.
Don’t Run Out Of Time – Contact Salter Ferguson’s Birmingham, Alabama, Attorneys Today
Contacting an experienced Alabama company vehicle accident attorney immediately is crucial. Alabama’s car accident statute of limitation laws limit the amount of time you have to file a complaint and seek compensation.
To contact our law firm and ensure that your rights are protected, call us today at 877-298-4878. Or send us a message through our contact form to schedule a FREE discussion and review of your Alabama company car accident case.
Additionally, because you don’t need any more stress, if we take you on as a client, you will never pay a penny upfront for our representation. We only get paid when we win your case.