Most BRS represented employees working under national agreements have access to a valuable benefit, the existence of which many are unaware of.  The Off-Track Vehicle (OTV) accident benefit can be extremely beneficial for members who have been involved in an accident in a company vehicle operating off-track.  This important Agreement provision can also be available to an employee using his/her personal automobile in the absence of company provided transportation.  Such covered activity would include authorized use of a personal vehicle to directly report for, or return from, trouble calls after the normal hours of one’s assignment, or for other Carrier authorized work.  OTV benefits were first negotiated into existence on April 21, 1969, with numerous amendments in the years since.  The OTV provision of the national agreement provides an accidental death benefit of $300,000 in an off-track vehicle accident.  The same benefit amount applies to the following losses sustained in an off-track vehicle accident: 

• loss of both hands
• loss of both feet
• loss of sight in both eyes
• loss of one hand and one foot
• loss of one hand and sight in one eye
• loss of one foot and sight in one eye