Were you recently injured in an auto accident in Woodland Hills? Sometimes, the parties who may be ‘at fault’ are not always apparent at first glance. This means that you may be able to file a claim against more than one individual or entity.
Many employees are on the road for work-related reasons and/or are driving work vehicles. If an employee was acting within the “scope” of his or her employment when he or she caused the car accident that injured you, the employer may also be liable for the employee’s actions. The scope of employment is defined by those actions that either have a reasonable relation to the employee’s job performance or are reasonably foreseeable by the employer and an experienced auto accident attorney can discuss this legal concept with you in further detail.
What is Scope of Employment?
While it is not always clear if an employee is driving for a reason within the scope of his or her employment, some scenarios have long been considered within the scope of employment rule, including:
• A pizza delivery man causing an accident on the way to delivering an order;
• A salesperson who causes an accident while making a sales call on a potential customer (even if the salesperson was driving his or her personal vehicle at the time).
Where things can get more complicated is when an employee squeezes personal errands between work-related tasks during business hours. Indeed, an employer will likely try to avoid blame and the financial repercussions of paying for your injuries by claiming that an employee was running a personal errand or outside the scope of 
employment. However, the line between work and personal is often unclear. For example, a California court found that an insurance sales agent employee was acting within the scope of her employment when she stopped off for yogurt on her way home, immediately after she dropped off a number of co-workers to a work-related event. Be careful not to let a potential source for financial compensation off the hook without talking to an experienced personal injury attorney first.
Courts have often decided scope of employment rulings based on very fact-intensive considerations. If you or a loved one were the victim of a personal injury accident caused by an individual whom you believe was “on the clock”, contact Woodland Hills auto accident attorney Barry P. Goldberg and his team of legal professionals today to discuss your legal rights.
