When someone is injured in a Maryland truck accident, they have the option to sue the person who caused the incident. Through these lawsuits, the injured plaintiffs may be able to recover significant amounts of monetary damages to cover their lost wages, past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, and more. What many people do not realize, however, is that sometimes, injured plaintiffs might be able to sue more than just the individual who caused the accident.
In some situations, plaintiffs may be able to sue the defendant’s employer, if the employee was acting in the scope of employment when they caused the injury. This is an attractive option for many victims of Maryland truck accidents, because often the individual who caused the accident is unable to fully compensate the victim for their losses due to financial strain. Because of this, many Maryland plaintiffs decide to file suit against both the individual who caused the accident and their employer. The doctrine of holding the employer liable is called vicarious liability.
For example, consider a recent state appellate case. According to the court’s written opinion, the accident in question occurred in June 2015 when the plaintiff was standing on the sidewalk in front of his home when he was suddenly struck and run over by a truck owned and operated by the defendant employee. The defendant employee was backing his truck down the sidewalk to retrieve scraps of metal debris from the roof project on the plaintiff’s house. The plaintiff was severely injured as a result, and sued both the employee and his employer in a personal injury lawsuit. At trial, the jury found both defendants liable and granted almost $1 million dollars in damages. The employer appealed, arguing that they did not have the type of employee-employer relationship necessary for holding them vicariously liable.