Driving a company rented vehicle I backed into a light pole and knocked it over. Will my companies insurance be responsible to cover damage or could that all fall on me and my insure to have to cover damages?

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Driving a company rented vehicle I backed into a light pole and knocked it over. Will my companies insurance be responsible to cover damage or could that all fall on me and my insure to have to cover damages?

The vehicle was a rented Penske Truck. The accident took place on private
proportybusiness parking lot. My name is not associated to the vehicle or the
rental of the vehicle or the credit card used to rent the vehicle. That was all done
through my company. I am on my companies insurance.

I did have a co worker behind the vehicle guiding me back and miscommunication
was what caused the accident.

Just because I was the driver of the vehicle could I have everything be put on me to
take care of the damage or will my company have to be the ones to cover the
damage?

Thanks

Asked on March 19, 2017 under Accident Law, Utah

Answers:

SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 7 years ago | Contributor

You can be held liable for the damage to the truck and/or the light pole: you could be directly sued for it (e.g. by your employer, if you damaged the truck) or, if they submit a claim and their insurer pays them, the insurer then has the right (called "subrogation") to sue you to recover what they paid out. That is because an at-fault driver is always liable for the damage he or she does, regardless of who owns the vehicle, whether he or she was driving for his or her own purposes or for work, etc.; and the law presumes that someone who hits a stationary object (e.g. a light pole) was negligent, or unreasonably careless in doing so, and hence at fault.


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