employee wrecked company truck

[longslawn]

I have a employee who ran into the back of someones car and did $800.00 damage to the other car. There was no damage to the company truck. When the police were called the employee told the officer that if would not issue him a ticket he would pay the repair bill himself, which the officer agreed and the employee paid the $800.00 estimate himself.
How would you handle this. I want to be fair to the employee but this is the second time he has bumped a car. The other time was minor and I only had to pay for a damaged plate and not the scratch on the bumper.
Thanks

[KenH]

I would split the 800 with him. After all, if it went through insurance, your rate will rocket. Also tell him he has 1 more strike. If it happens again its his responsibility and he might also lose driving priv. for a while.

[Stonehenge]

Was he driving the truck as part of his job? If he was, I believe the responsibility falls on your shoulders.

I'm impressed that an employee would pay $800 in damage out of his own pocket.

At the same time, it raises a red flag about his driving record. How many points does he have left on his license?

Seems to me that the fair thing to do would be to figure out what it would've cost you if the bill went through your insurance, and if there's a difference, you address only the difference.

[bubble boy]

i don't know if impressed is the word. he paid $800 instead of having to pay the ticket and get a mark on his record-likely was a smart move for him.

unless he paid that $800 cause he felt bad?? THAT would be impressive.

the thread title threw me off. How much damage was done? $800 is nothing really.

last time he did this was just a bump. obviously you don't want this to become a habit, but if he is a good worker i'd let it pass.

i've got a guy, hard worker just not a great driver. rarely does he need to drive a truck. but when he does, i know something might happen (and has). i just chalk it up, often i blame myslef because i let him drive.

by letting him drive i accept that something might happen, so if and when it does i am more mad at myself.

[Stonehenge]

Hmmmm... Paying the ticket and getting a mark on his record. It doesn't seem that in WI that would amount to $800. Seems like the employee took the short end of the stick.

Is there something I'm missing?

I agree that $800 isn't much. I had a guy run one of our trucks into another of our trucks. $4K.

[bubble boy]

i assume that the decision to not give the ticket was made before the estimate of $800 was received. The cop would have forgone the ticket on scene, while the estimate would have likely been gotten a couple days later (i'm guessing??). The guy likely took a chance, maybe he didn't request several estimates? Possibly he got jacked by the body shop/owner working together.

depending on one's record, $800 might be worth it.

its funny, my biz partners girlfriend drove one of our trucks into the side of another, minor damage (but both were quite new). she was the only sober one so we laughed, but it was a while before she was willing to drive a truck again.

[longslawn]

Thanks for the replys. The police were called after the fact. The person he hit was a friend of my daughter, I told her to get a couple of estimates and get back with me but her mother wanted a police record. She had already gone and gotten one estimate before the police were called.
She got (3) estimates and he paid the middle one. I'm thinking of paying at least $400.00 of the $800.00. Usally if the damage is less than $1000.00 the insurance will not increase. I have never filed a claim with them on my business account but have on a personal policy and it was less than $1000.00 and the premium did not increase.

I appericate the replys. I want to be fair but I need to get his attention also.

Thanks

[bubble boy]

thinking about htis, is it legal for him to pay? i'm pretty sure it's not legal to make him, but i guess if he wants he can?

and could he use this against you down the road? ie. he pays, then gets fired, then claims you made him pay?

[longslawn]

I have about decided to pay the estimate myself. I most likely would have not filed this on my insurance anyway.
However, I will give him a warning that the next time it will cost him his job. He has got to understand that while I may be liable, I will hold him accountabe for any damage he causes.

Thanks for everyones input.

[Guido]

Originally posted by longslawn
I will give him a warning that the next time it will cost him his job. He has got to understand that while I may be liable, I will hold him accountabe for any damage he causes.

I don't get it......your going to teach him a lesson in accountability, and make sure he knows that next time he will be accountable........................... But the guy paid for it on his own without a problem. I think he knows he should be accountable for it, even if he DOES NOT have to be.

I would put some money up, but not all of it. I would still let him pay for a chunk of it just to make sure it is a lesson learned.

[Randy Scott]

Originally posted by longslawn
When the police were called the employee told the officer that if would not issue him a ticket he would pay the repair bill himself, which the officer agreed and the employee paid the $800.00 estimate himself.


What moron of a cop agreed to this guy. Because the guy that wasn't paying attention and ran into the back of another person is telling the cops he'll take care of the damages without a ticket getting issued? If I was the cop, at that point I would have told him, you don't have a choice in the matter, YOU ran into the other person, you better believe you are going to pay for it, and for acting like you are doing a good deed by paying, you get the ticket for inattentive driving also. What a jerk. A lesson learned for this guy would be getting the ticket. If he's not responsible enough to keep a drivers license he will inevitably cause you problems down the road.

[bubble boy]

Originally posted by Randy Scott


If I was the cop, at that point I would have told him, you don't have a choice in the matter, YOU ran into the other person, you better believe you are going to pay for it, and for acting like you are doing a good deed by paying, you get the ticket for inattentive driving also.

good point. it does seem odd that the cop was this forgiving.

fishy details here.

[dforbes]

Since the police were called after the fact, an estimate was already done, it sounds like it was a day or two later. I don't think the officer could write a ticket at this time. He probably went along with it because there was no choice. Maybe you should tell the employee if he doesn't have any more accidents in 1 year you will give him half his money back. 2 years the other half. Just a suggestion.
Dennis

[thfireman]

I would let it pass this time but talk to him about following distances and make a policy for driving and accidents and stand by that policy. I would require him to go to a drivers class the next time or loose his driving privilage for a long while.

Or you can just tell him he gets just one more chance.

:cool:

[AztlanLC]

usually my employees star with a thousand dollar chritsmas bonus.

Case like this I would pay for the damage and tell him, first his bonus might be zero at the end of the year and second his job it's at risk too.

Then again some people just have such a bad luck. But I keep that for myself

[longslawn]

I paid the $800.00 myself. The employee was due a raise but it will be delayed for a while. I spoke to him about keeping a safe distance between him and other vehicles. I also explained that the next wreck could cost him his job.
All things considered it could have been worse.

[sgtgm5]

Hmm, I had a similiar problem but it wasnt the employee it was me,,, THE BOSS.. Well my truck got totaled and I keep beating myself for it. I have scourned my self over and over.. But the one thing i learned was it was my fault and i hope that your employee feels the same as i do

[Tony Harrell]

I bumped someone with my pest control truck. No damage on the other and only a small dent in my front bumper. I was expecting a ticket from the cop but didn't get one probably because it was raining. The owner of the company put brakes on the truck a few days later after I explained for the umpteenth time about them. Even with good brakes/tires things happen. Have you ever tried to keep a safe distance and had someone whip in front of you and stop? Technically if you hit someone from behind, you're at fault. Sometimes, you'll get a cop that understands "things happen". As long as there's no/minor damage, you might not get a ticket. When the cop asked me what happened, I told him. I know that flies in the face of everything you've been told about admitting guilt but It's hard to not explain a dented front bumper (honesty is always the best policy you know).