Business or Personal?

Out-of-state car accidents can happen when you are driving a company vehicle and traveling for business reasons or they can occur on vacations or trips to visit family and friends in other areas. While the injuries you suffer in either situation can be just as severe, the methods for obtaining compensation for your damages will vary. In light of this, our guidelines for an out-of-state car accident will discuss how to approach each of these situations.  

Differences Between Business and Personal Car Accidents

According to Nationwide Insurance, if a car is owned by a company and driven by employees, commercial vehicle coverage through the company is required. If you are driving your car on company business, you will be covered for accidents based on your own personal insurance policy.

Company car policies typically include additional insurance coverage to protect the business against car accidents resulting in lawsuits. If you are involved in an out-of-state car accident or even one that occurs in Nevada, it is important to make note of any names or other markings on the vehicle or any indicators on the driver, such as a uniform or name badge, that would indicate commercial business use.

Violating the Terms of a Commercial Insurer

While an insurance policy may be designed to protect a company against being sued as the result of a car accident, it only applies if the company has complied with the terms set forth by the insurer. Ways in which companies may increase their liability include:

• Hiring drivers who do not obey traffic rules and regulations or those who engage in reckless driving behaviors;
• Not being honest with the insurance company about past driving history (for example, one of their drivers may have multiple citations or arrests for driving under the influence);
• Not being honest in the type of business that is being operated, or how the car is used for business purposes;
• Failure to properly maintain vehicles in their fleet;
• Not conforming with state commercial licensing requirements or those listed by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA);
• Making unreasonable demands on drivers or not allowing them to take the appropriate number of breaks on long trips.

An individual driver operating their own vehicle may also be personally liable for an out-of-state car accident if they failed to inform their insurer that they were using their car for business purposes. In this and the above scenarios, both the driver and the company can be held liable for damages other drivers suffer through an injury lawsuit, which may include compensation for current and future medical expenses and lost wages, along with any pain and suffering the driver or their passengers endured as a result of the accident or their injuries.  

Recovery After an Out-of-State Car Accident

In this guide, we have outlined some of the most important issues that can influence your recovery when an out-of-state car accident occurs. Along with determining whether the vehicles involved were being used for business or personal purposes, we discussed how it is also important to be aware of the various insurance laws that are in place when you are traveling, and that Nevada laws will not apply in the event of a personal injury lawsuit.

At Naqvi Injury Law, we make it our business to protect you in these and other types of situations, providing the professional legal representation needed to help you get the compensation you are entitled to. Services we provide include:

• Investigating the circumstances surrounding your out-of-state accident;
• Obtaining out-of-state police reports and other evidence, including witness statements and video camera recordings from stores or traffic signals near the accident scene;
• Reviewing insurance requirements and personal injury laws for the state you were in;
• Consulting with your medical providers and car accident injury experts to determine the extent of the damage you suffered and any lasting impacts you are likely to experience;
• Negotiating with your insurer and advising you on your rights in filing a claim, all with the goal of getting you the maximum amount you are entitled to.

We hope you have found this out-of-state car accident guide helpful. When accidents and injuries impact you or your loved ones, call or contact our Las Vegas car accident attorneys online and request a consultation to discuss your case and how Naqvi Injury Law can assist you.