how vicarious liability works
vicarious liability or imputed liability is indirect liability for the actions of a another person such as a subordinate or child an employer can be held liable for the unlawful action of an employee this action might be harassment or discrimination in the workplace an employer might also be held liable if an employee operates equipment or machinery in a negligent or inappropriate way that results in damages to property or personal injury to an individual for example if a construction worker mishandles the controls of a crane and topples the wall of a nearby building the company overseeing the construction and worker may face vicarious liability for damages caused likewise if an engineer loses control of a train and it proceeds down the tracks on its own then the company that owns and operates the train may face vicarious liability for any resulting damages and injury the employer is held liable because it is considered an employer may be able to avoid vicarious liability by exercising reasonable care to prevent unlawful behavior example of vicarious liabilityin the case of the 1989 exxon valdez oil spill exxon shipping co faced vicarious liability for the series of events that led to 10 8 million gallons of crude oil spilling into the sea off alaska and affecting the shore and animal life 1among other factors the company was held accountable for lack of supervision of the captain fatigue among crew members aboard the oil tanker and the condition of radar equipment that might have helped prevent the ship from running aground 2due to the multiple appeals a changing award amount and the gray area of maritime law pertaining to a ship owner being responsible for the actions of an employee this is a fairly complicated example of vicarious liability 3