Employee Blacked Out and Crashed Car
Mel in CO
54 Posts
I have an employee who travels for our organization regularly (50% of the time annually) by car, using her own vehicle to travel to our customer sites. She was speaking with one of our Executive Assistants and mentioned that she needed to get a new car. When the Executive Assistant asked why she was purchasing a new car, the employee stated that she crashed her car this weekend into a light pole in the Wal-Mart parking lot and her car was totaled.
The employee stated that she doesn't know what happened; she cannot remember hitting the light pole, that she had a really bad headache when it happened, and thinks that she blacked-out. The Executive Assistant asked if she was going to the doctor and the employee stated yes, that she has an appointment on the 13th.
Can I do anything with this information at this point even though it is third-hand? My concern is that since the employee travels regularly to customer sites for my organization that she may blackout, hit and injure someone, and my organization would be liable. We do not have any policies in our handbook that address this issue except for our "Safety" policy that only states employees should report any unsafe conditions to their supervisor. Do I even have all of the information at this point to make a decision? Any assistance / advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
The employee stated that she doesn't know what happened; she cannot remember hitting the light pole, that she had a really bad headache when it happened, and thinks that she blacked-out. The Executive Assistant asked if she was going to the doctor and the employee stated yes, that she has an appointment on the 13th.
Can I do anything with this information at this point even though it is third-hand? My concern is that since the employee travels regularly to customer sites for my organization that she may blackout, hit and injure someone, and my organization would be liable. We do not have any policies in our handbook that address this issue except for our "Safety" policy that only states employees should report any unsafe conditions to their supervisor. Do I even have all of the information at this point to make a decision? Any assistance / advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Comments
A relative of mine blacked out while driving and ended up in a field. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Her license was suspended for six months however.
You might call your Workers Comp company and ask them for advice from a safety standpoint.
Obviously this is a bit of an awkward situation but awkward is better than disastrous.