California Casualty Indemnity Exchange v. Industrial Accident Commission

— Jane Duffus was employed as a stenographer in Fullerton by the Val Vita Food Products, Inc. She and several other employees of the company lived in Los Angeles thirty-three miles away, and for their convenience the company purchased an automobile to transport them to and from work. There was a bus line between Los Angeles and Fullerton, and the employees were not required to use the automobile, but those who did were charged $4.00 a month, representing a pro rata share of the running expenses, which was deducted from their wages. The employees would decide among themselves who was to drive, and there was no regular driver. The employee who lived the farthest away would drive the ear home, keep it over night and in the morning pick up the other employees on the way to work.

On April 18, 1941, three employees of the Val Vita company, including Mrs. Duffus, were driving home in the automobile. One of them left the car, and shortly thereafter it collided with another automobile, injuring Mrs. Duffus. The employees had punched the time clock before leaving the plant, but, as was their custom, had taken with them office mail, which they deposited in a mail box on the road. The driver…