I had to explain to him that he was in a tough situation. Unfortunately, he was to learn that it was his burden to prove that his employer was negligent in order to recover anything for his damages. At first, it would appear that he had a case. However, the sole defense that an employer has in non-subscriber cases is called “Sole Proximate Cause.” This concept is pretty simply, if the injured worker is 100 percent responsible for the accident, it bars his recovery against the employer.
Back to the trucker, who is at fault? Is it the employer who did not call his worker to say don’t drive; or, is it the employee who should have known better than driving on the roadways on a day with horrible conditions? Anyone who feels compelled to try and answer, feel free to let me know.