Fatal crossover accident in Iowa

Last week near Wilton, Iowa, there was a fatal crossover car accident on Interstate 80.  A driver from Iowa lost control of his vehicle and crossed over the median and hit two vehicles traveling in the opposite direction.  The driver who lost control, an Oregon resident, was killed in the accident while the other two drivers involved in  the car crash required hospitalization.

As an experienced Chicago car accident lawyer, one thing that I wonder about after reading this story is, "What was this man from Oregon doing driving around in Iowa?"  Obviously people have a right to drive wherever their fancy takes them, but when I see car accidents involving people who are far from home, it makes me wonder whether the person was traveling on business.

If the man from Oregon was in fact traveling on business, there is a reasonable chance that his employer would be liable for the injuries caused in this accident.  There is a doctrine in the law known as respondeat superior which makes the employer liable for injuries caused by their employees who are acting in the scope of their employment.  If he was in fact traveling for business, his employer may be liable for the injuries he caused in the accident.

The injuries that the other two men involved in this cross-over accident suffered are likely to be significant, and the issue of whether the at-fault driver was doing anything employment-related at the time of the accident is one which should be investigated before the case is settled.