LODI, Wis. — After getting in a car accident with a work vehicle, Cara Kjorlie, from Lodi, received a bill almost a year later requesting $44,000 for repairs.

Call For Action has been working with Kjorlie for several months now. Her experience reveals the challenges faced by workers caught in insurance and other legal loopholes after accidents. 

“Getting in the car is the most dangerous thing any of us do,” says Will Kramer, an attorney at Pines Bach LLC.  “The only way you’ll really know what’s covered or what’s not is to read the insurance policy.”

In January 2024, Kjorlie had just picked up a client and was driving for Ride Connect LLC., a medical transportation service. In the Ride Connect vehicle, she was t-boned, causing Kjorlie to hit a traffic signal pole. 

The police lieutenant in the Village of Waunakee, Matthew Plendl, confirmed no one involved in the accident was ticketed for fault. The incident report includes details on the traffic light, obscured by snow and icy road conditions.

Nearly a year later, Kjorlie’s life turned upside down when she opened a letter from State Farm Insurance, the other party’s carrier. It demanded $44,000 in damages. 

Kjorlie was devastated and confused. “It was just very disheartening,” she said. “It was like somebody…just stomped on me.”

Kramer, who has experience in commercial insurance and advising consumers on how to minimize their losses…emphasizes that while it’s the employer’s responsibility… “where it gets sketchy is if you work for a very small company or a company that doesn’t have a lot of resources.”

Ride Connect LLC. is not a BBB Accredited Business.

“I was under the impression they had insurance. I would have never been driving for Ride Connect if I had thought for one second there was no insurance. It was their vehicle, and I was driving,” Kjorlie said.

She called Ride Connect’s insurance company, SafeCo, to see if they would cover the bill, but she was not listed as a driver. When Kjorlie contacted SafeCo, she was told she “fell into a loophole,” and the company [Ride Connect] lacked the required business insurance coverage.

Kjorlie is insured personally through Wisconsin Mutual Insurance. Call For Action advised her to submit her own claim. But it was denied, the company stating:

“The policy specifically excludes the use of a covered vehicle while being used for a business purpose.”

Some ride-share programs, where personal vehicles are used, like Uber and Lyft, offer insurance for their drivers. If your company provides a vehicle for you to drive, it’s likely only covered for work purposes. 

Kramer says if it’s used for personal reasons, “it’s a pretty good bet that that’s also not going to be covered by the company’s insurance.”

Kjorlie shares a simple and powerful message when it comes to getting insurance on vehicles to Ride Connect and similar employers: “Do the right thing. Be honest and do the right thing.”

If you’re driving for work, double-check your policies and ensure insurance coverage. It could save you thousands in legal fees if you end up being at fault. 

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