Can I be held liable if someone else drives my vehicle and causes an accident?

When it comes to liability in a car accident and consequent damages, one of the key elements is determining who was at fault. Cutting to the chase, any driver found to have been negligent by failing to exercise care will be deemed liable for the accident, according to fabulous auto accident lawyers in Spokane, WA.

Accidents can happen in any number of ways. If  someone hits you, it does not matter if they are the owner or not, you need legal help and this is where USAttorneys.com comes into the picture so you can find yourself an accident lawyer in Spokane, WA.

However, in certain cases, a person who was not driving or was not even in the car at the time of the accident may be held liable. There are several circumstances when this could occur.

If it does, you need legal help and you can make this come to fruition by pressing right here Accident.USAttorneys.com.

Employers’ responsibility for the employee’s actions

“Superior respondeat” is the law which allows for car accident victims to hold the driver’s employer responsible for an accident caused by the driver while on duty. The reasoning behind this is the fact that employers expectedly have deeper pockets than an individual/employee and so they should be liable for any negligent accidents caused by an employee who was acting within the scope of his or her job.

For instance, if an employer sends a company driver to pick up a client and the driver runs a red light and crashes into another car then it is not only the driver that can be held liable for the accident, but also the employer can be held liable too for any accident insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, explain Washington accident lawyers. 

When you let someone else operate your car

In some states, even if there is no employee-employer relationship in the equation, when a car owner permits someone else to drive his or her car then the owner also agrees to be liable for the actions or inactions of the driver who they allow to drive their car. These laws only apply to certain states.

Now in the beginning of the movie Ride Along James Payton (Ice Cube) takes a red pick-up truck from someone and chases a villain through downtown Atlanta and crashes into all sorts of stuff and causes all sorts of mayhem but he did catch the perp! Now that someone was just a civilian minding his own business. He would be exempt in a situation like this. In fact, the Atlanta Police Department may even be liable since this civilian could claim he was traumatized by Payton’s actions and the damage to his truck would have to be paid for.

But if you let someone drive your car and they drive like a fool for no reason, unlike Payton who was engaging in official police business, then you may have some answering to do.

When your kids driver your car

Spokane, WA accident attorneys caution that when parents allow their child to use their family car, then they can be held liable for any damages that may result from this.

Negligent entrustment is when a parent, despite knowing of the child’s immaturity, lack of experience, not having a license, allows the child to drive their vehicle then they are negligently entrusting them and are therefore responsible for any accidents.

When you let an incompetent or reckless driver use your car

An incompetent driver, reckless driver, or an unfit driver can be anyone who has one or more of the following – intoxicated, unlicensed, under aged, inexperienced (someone with only a learners permit), elderly driver, ill driver, someone who has a mental or physical condition that would prevent them from obtaining a DL, and/or a previously reckless driver.

If you need legal help in an auto accident, all you need is to reach out to a Washington State accident lawyer to evaluate your claim and make sure your rights are protected.