got rear ended!

[lowtemp]

got rear ended by a bus today. The van is a right off (frame bent).The van was only 3 months old. I was not at fault. However, i was tied up with police and tow truck etc. for 3 hours. I billed this time to the company. The boss thinks he shouldnt have to pay. I say 'yes it was on your time'. I think im right and should be paid. what do u all think? Oh yeah and my Recovery unit was damaged beyond repair in accident. I also want him to replace it as well. I told him to put it through insurance. He doesnt want to because his rates are sky high now. Three trucks have been written off in the last year.

[bootlen]

Bus co. should pay for damage to vehicle/equipment, boss should pay for time. If he wants to get your time out of the bus co., that would be proper but may not be awarded by a judge.

[Swampfox]

By his logic you should have gotten someone to pick you up and left the van for him to deal with, He should pay you IMO

[Roscoe]

First: You are OK I hope

Rear ended heh you are getting screwed . Now listen to an old man who was union trained and ownes a HVAC company

bee real nice get what you can outta the company,,,,,,,,,,, then get the hell outta there and find a real company.

Their not paying for three hours??? you're kidding right?

get out now !!!!!!!!!!!

We have a small company with 4 vehicals and I would never not pay you for three hr's unless you were drunk or high and crashed the truck. Even Then I'd want to get you help unless you were a total *******.

get out now find a company who will treat you with respect.

If your boss gets an attitude tell him to call me and I'll tell'em he's an *******

The vehical is not your concern at this point "this is why we pay such high insurance premiums, it's their problem now.

That's why it's called an accident "you didn't do this on purpose did you" ?

[Edited by pjs on 09-17-2004 at 10:51 PM]

[The Penguin]

what irritats me is how some business owners here and out there are always harping on how its their precious truck and they have the right to monitor you gps you etc you have to drive the truck how they dictate blah blah blah but the very second there's an accident that is completly not their employee's fault and they start whining about they shouldn't have to pay for your time dealing with the accident or your tools that were damaged as a result. Then in the next breath they are wondering why their employees are doing side jobs and stealing from them. DUH the employer set the standard" I'm going to screw my employee's Im going to stiff them on OT and not pay for their tools hell I'm going to charge the customer rental on the vac pump and reclaim unit but I'll be dammed if I'm going to pay for oil for the vac pump the employee will pay for that after all its his pump. hell I'm not paying travel time etc etc.
Why does any one wonder at why guys bone the boss cause we got boned first thats why.


Low temp if I was you I would start carefully looking for greener pastures but take your time and in the mean time I would take every oppertunity to bone your boss back if hes not paying you for your time and the tools that broken as a result of the accident

He's the kind of boss I would enjoy boning and believe me I'm good at it by now

[i_got_ideas]

The recovery machine.....if the boss was nice he'd buy you a new one but some policies don't cover tools in the trucks.
At our company our vehicle insurance doesn't cover any tools damaged or stolen out of the trucks. It was made perfectly clear to us from day one and it was shown to us on the policy that they are not covered.

As far as the time, hell yeah he owes you for that time :rolleyes: .

[Roscoe]

Originally posted by i_got_ideas
The recovery machine.....if the boss was nice he'd buy you a new one but some policies don't cover tools in the trucks.
At our company our vehicle insurance doesn't cover any tools damaged or stolen out of the trucks. It was made perfectly clear to us from day one and it was shown to us on the policy that they are not covered.

As far as the time, hell yeah he owes you for that time :rolleyes: .

Those employers need to get a better policy ours covers all tools,there is a 500 deduct but that would be on the company.

[i_got_ideas]

Originally posted by pjs

Originally posted by i_got_ideas
The recovery machine.....if the boss was nice he'd buy you a new one but some policies don't cover tools in the trucks.
At our company our vehicle insurance doesn't cover any tools damaged or stolen out of the trucks. It was made perfectly clear to us from day one and it was shown to us on the policy that they are not covered.

As far as the time, hell yeah he owes you for that time :rolleyes: .

Those employers need to get a better policy ours covers all tools,there is a 500 deduct but that would be on the company.


I personally don't blame them. I had the same policy when I owned a construction company. My insurance didn't cover and materials damaged either. It was a risk I was willing to take for the cost of the additional coverage. I know if something happened to my tools the boss's would help out but they aren't obligated too.

[hvac45]

Pretty bad attitude on your bosses part, I would thank you for making sure I was covered well in the accident report, I would pay you for your time, and I would replace the recovery machine. then I would fight to get reimbursed thru their insurance company. It does not affect his. They were automatically at fault when they ran into the back of you.

[lowtemp]

it was sort of chaotic at accident scene. The bus had school kids on it and 4 got hurt. I have first aid so i was also helping them .This accounted for the 3 hours. i still think i should be reimbursed for the time.

[Roscoe]

Well like I said you got rear ended twice. You oughta
Print this page and if you decide to leave, give it too him

[cynic]

I got sideswiped by a schoolbus last winter getting paid for the time was not even an issue, same thing when a van dies even on overtime. Remind me to thank my boss for not being a total A$$ and even trying to pull petty stuff like that. Lowtemp... how is your neck,back........

[Edmund Forsthe]

i guess what i got is you should not use your recovery machine, that should be the company's responsibility, a couple of years ago i got one stolen from the co truck, at least the owner was good enough to replace it. but still should not the co provide acetelene and nitrogen tanks along with the recovery cylinders unless you are a subcontractor.

[Dad]

My two cents… by the way, glad you are OK

If the bus is owned by the city, your boss is screwed.

If the bus is owned by the county, your boss is screwed.

If the bus is owned by any other government agency, your boss is screwed.

Imminent domain, they will either fix the van (that shouldn’t be fixed) by a body shop of their choosing or hang him in court until they get around to giving him diminished value. In either case your recovery machine is toast. Call 60 minutes.

If the bus is owned by a private party, your boss will be reimbursed 100% along with your recovery machine by their insurance company. Your boss will also be reimbursed for reasonable expenses for loss of time he paid to an employee. IE… out of pocket expenses. The insurance company has to make your boss whole. (be careful with those last two words)

You should be paid your down time and let him add it to the insurance expense. You should also be paid to clean out your old truck and stock a new one too! Sorry, I really don’t like watching the clock or paying by the billed hour/commission crap. I give my guys 40 hours guaranteed and don’t care if they are the babysitter for the day because school is out.


As far as my guys, they use their own hand tools. If they break them (I don’t care if it is on the job or at a home) I replace them. They can’t work with their fingernails and make either of us a living. The longer a tech works for me the more I increase his birthday money at his favorite tool house. First year $100, second year $125 and so on. Christmas is always a couple hundred credit on his tool account and this is all new stuff not replacements.

If my guys like using their specialty tools such as torch, pump or recovery units there is no problem. If they break or wear out I replace them but I get the rental money. If you pay to replace/repair them you get the rental money added to your pay check. “Your stuff, your money”. I pay for upkeep too. If you start with old junk and it breaks after a few days you are on your own. I may pay half just to be a good guy. You don’t screw me and I will always pay the bill.

Tools on the truck… My insurance company doesn’t cover them if they are lost or stolen. They are covered if damaged by an auto accident. I provide locked cages and window security screens on our trucks. If the truck is broken into I will replace what the insurance company will not. If you don’t lock the truck (your neglect) then you have to buy yours and mine. I will provide spares until we can work out the details but a man has to be able to make a living even through a dumb mistake.


I don’t want to continue blowing hot air and get off onto tangents here. My guys are part of my family. I love and respect them all. Family comes first in my book. Any other boss that doesn’t use the same attitude in his small business will not be cared for in his time of need. “Goes around, comes around”

[Edmund Forsthe]

darn lusker wish there were more employers like you. your too darn nice.

[rob10]

Find out wo has the deepest pockets and sue the crap out of all of them. Ever heard of soft tissue damage? Very hard to prove that it's not there.

[Edmund Forsthe]

if everybody was fair you would not need to sue by the way didyou go to the emergency room, my sister got rearended, she felt fine so did not go to the hospital, 3 days later she got up and could not move hurt her back and she was not lying had to resort to a lawsuit to get the medical bills paid, still have seen the end of it and its been over a year. they fixed her car though.

[Dad]

Originally posted by Edmund Forsthe
darn lusker wish there were more employers like you. your too darn nice.

Trust me, I am no saint. I am a young man (48) in an old body Edmund and my health problems are only going to get worse as time goes by. I still work side by side with my guys and do all of the office work and accounting myself. I am indebted to my guys for keeping my business strong and my customers happy. I like to think that they pay me not the other way around.

We have a thing here. If there is a question about any policy that may adversely affect one of my techs we all discuss it together. We can and do change policy depending on how everyone feels about it but of course I have the final decision. If that decision leaves me without a pay check during a slow period, no problems, as long as my guys are taken care of.

The purpose of any business is to make money. I make the same as my guys, a fair wage, but they are building equity for me one brick at a time. I understand that and one day they will be running this business for my kids’ future.

There are several guys like me, that are on this site, all small business owners that treat their guys with respect and really go out of their way to take care of them. It is hard to become a new hire by us because no one leaves. We listen to others here that complain about how they are treated by their boss or company that employees them. Some complain more than most. It is not for us to judge others but to listen and make an appropriate suggestion when we can. Like it or not we are all in a brotherhood of hardworking, underpaid and underappreciated labor pool. If we listen to each other and stick together we make things better for us all. Like I said, “Goes around, comes around”. That doesn’t mean others will treat you as you treat them sooner or later. It means that there will be a promise for my attitude when I meet my maker.


Sorry for the speech. :D

As far as the truck and reclaim unit. Thank God he wasn’t hurt and praise him for helping those kids. Pay this good man and buy him a new reclaim then shut up about it, I say.

[i_got_ideas]

So don't reclaim any more............

and if you get caught venting say " my boss won't buy me a reclaimer." :D

I'm kidding by the way but.........

you could just sit in the office all day next time you have to go do a compressor change out or something. When your boss asks you what the hell you're doing and tells ya to get to work tell him " but I don't have a reclaimer, it was broke on the job and I can't afford another one, so when I save up enough money or you buy me one I can start working again." :)

[lowtemp]

i wasnt hurt . The kids on the bus were more scared then hurt i think

[jpb2]

I wish you the best. Hope John Edwards will be available to help you if needed.

[Dad]

Originally posted by jpb2
I wish you the best. Hope John Edwards will be available to help you if needed.

That's pretty funny! :D :D

[service guy]

Hey lowtemp does your neck hurt at all or how about your back?? If it doesn't I think it should start hurting!! Put the screws to the boss he should have a been more worried about you instead of oh my insurance, now you can see what kinda prick he is,did he even ask if you were ok?

[Murphcoair]

Lets see 3 month old service van ,lets say 24,000. add in price of new recovery unit , lets say 1200.00 ,I do not think the insurance rates will be increased dramatically because of the recovery unit cost. Yes you should be paid for your time. I hope your new truck has a CD player and Captains chairs

[Edmund Forsthe]

my old boss would not give me a tool allowance, claimed drill, sawsall, and rotorzip fell into the category of hand tools, would not even provide a nitrogen bottle let alone a leak detector or combustible gas detector, said if i wanted one i had to buy my own, of course he had all the tools in his truck but would not let any of the tech use them, heck the bosch drill if we used it all we heard was it was a thousand dollar drill so dont bteak it. he did provide the sawsall blades. that did not last long and his turnover rate was six months. just the other day he had another add for techs in the paper.

[hi-tork]

Man, just dealt with a "hit from behind" this afternoon; My father called me up and said that he and my mother and sister and her two kids were rear-ended on I95...Turned out to be a 10 car pile up that shut down the interstate...He was hit by guess who? FPL. Good thing he was in his Excursion which is now pretty much totalled, otherwise, no telling what would have happened...He had to have 14 stitches above his left eye and everyone else didn't have any open wounds, just real sore. The interesting thing is the Highway Patrolman who came to the E.R. said that the FPL guy hit an Astro van first which knocked that off to the side, then hit them.

[hi-tork]

http://ww2.imagewiz.net/images/hvac/128818_DSCN2964.JPG


Would you guys consider this totalled?



[Edited by hi-tork on 09-19-2004 at 05:03 PM]

[Chad711]

Fire your Boss NOW, then find a real one... Sounds like the *&^%^&& I worked for. Lemme guess, he drinks Whiskey/Water all day long, take naps during service seminars, snores and has to be woke up. Smokes approx 3 packs of cigs a day.. Wait thats my old Boss :)

[Roscoe]

Originally posted by hi-tork
http://ww2.imagewiz.net/images/hvac/128818_DSCN2964.JPG


Would you guys consider this totalled?



[Edited by hi-tork on 09-19-2004 at 05:03 PM]

ahhhhhhhhh yep but that is what insurance is for

frame is probably bent

[service guy]

Damn Hi-tork thank god everyone walked away that guy must have been going at a good clip, that thing looks totalled to me I bet that frame is all bent. On the brite side it looks like the truck did what it was supposed to do and protected your family.

[lowtemp]

well new truck will be here tomorrow. A 2005 express with air and captains chairs. Im getting paid for my time and a new recovery unit. I *****ed enough and since im the senior tech he couldnt afford to lose me.:)