5 Critical Steps Businesses Should Take After an Employee Car Accident

Car accidents can be a traumatic experience, especially in the workplace. What you do after your employee is involved in one can be crucial to their recovery and your business.

Employee safety is the top priority, so any employer or HR manager should first ensure that the employee receives immediate medical care. 

Once the employee is getting proper assistance, there are proactive steps a business can take to minimize the chance of future accidents. The steps may deviate from case to case but typically follow the same pattern.

One such step is establishing a protocol for these employee car accidents, that will be a standard guide to managing them.

Here are 5 steps businesses should take after an employee’s car accident to ensure the employee gets the support they need and that your business is in compliance with legal and ethical procedures. 

1. Ensure They Get Immediate Medical Attention

The most critical step is to ensure your employee gets medical assistance immediately after a car accident.

If the accident happens nearby or within the company premises, you should instantly call emergency services. But if the accident occurs farther away encourage your employee to seek medical help once they inform you about it. You could also offer to call emergency services if they need you to.

Gather as much information as possible so you can give the medical responders enough details. That includes the address, the employee’s current condition, and any injuries suffered. Even though the employee says they’re fine, some injuries aren’t immediately visible or apparent.

And remember, you shouldn’t move the employee immediately after the accident happens until a trained medical personnel is present. 

2. Call Relevant Authorities and Get the Driver’s Details

Once you’ve ensured your employee is getting care, the next step is calling the necessary local authorities. The laws of your state may require you to call the police or another regulatory body. 

If there was another vehicle in the accident, you also need to obtain their information. This is important because of possible insurance purposes. It can also prove useful if you need to take legal action after the accident, so for example if the other driver was under the influence you could file with a DUI accidents lawyer. Legal steps will depend on your local laws, so if you were in Tennessee you’d need to contact a Spring Hill accident lawyer.

Now that you have the details you can answer any questions from relevant authorities like the police. 

3. Communicate With The Employee and Offer Support

People involved in car accidents are often at risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), so maintaining stable communication with your employees can help assess their state of mind and check on how they’re recovering. You can offer them support and help and also get any other information necessary to update your company’s safety protocols.

If they need time off to get better, tell them the procedures regarding sick leave, and any benefits or compensation they’re entitled to.

Showing compassion, while you organize for them, will make their rest and recuperation easier on them. 

4. Go Through The Workplace Changes To Be Made

The unexpected absence of any employee will often increase the workload at any business. You’ll have a duty to support your injured staff, on top of having to reassign their responsibilities, approve their time off, and handle their workers’ compensation claims if any. Notify your company’s insurance provider about the accident and provide relevant information like the other driver’s details you collected earlier and witness statements.

You’ll also need to consult legal counsel if the accident caused significant injuries. Depending on your location, regional

The kind of injury they have will determine if some of these duty changes will be temporary or permanent. 

5. File an Insurance Claim

An insurance claim is critical if you need compensation for your worker’s medical costs or any damage to your company vehicle. You can also consider seeking legal action during this filing phase. Consider this if someone else’s negligence led to the accident that affected your employee or your car.

Explore talking to an accident or special injury lawyer near you, like Mitch Grissim & Associates, to consider your options. The options that are available to you will depend on your location.

Conclusion

After following the steps your business should be back to smooth operations before your employee returns. Now it’s time to learn something from the car accident, especially if you think it could have been prevented. Create and update existing injury-management protocols and other policies. And in the unfortunate instance, an accident happens again, the process will be more straightforward.

Having any employee involved in an accident can be stressful to manage, and it’s worse if they’re injured. By following these 5 steps, you’ll know how to navigate the standard car accident claim and do what’s in the best interest of your employee and business.