Who Is Liable in a Car Accident?
Most car crash claims begin with the other driver, but the driver is not always the only party who may be responsible. The vehicle owner, an employer, a government agency or a parts manufacturer may also play a role. Finding every https://raymondjxuh019.meridiannest.com/posts/police-reports-dashcam-video-and-car-crash-evidence responsible party is one of the first jobs of an auto accident lawyer, because each party may have separate insurance.
Driver negligence
A negligence claim asks whether a driver failed to use reasonable care. Common examples include speeding, distracted driving, impaired driving, following too closely and failing to yield. In many states, a traffic law violation can serve as evidence of negligence, and some states treat it as negligence per se. A citation can help a claim, but fault can be proven without one, and paying a ticket is treated differently from state to state. An auto accident attorney will compare the driver's conduct with the traffic laws of the state where the crash happened.
Owners and rental companies
If the driver borrowed the car, the owner's insurance policy often covers permissive drivers. An owner who lends a car to someone known to be unlicensed, impaired or reckless may face a negligent entrustment claim. Rental and leasing companies are treated differently. A federal law known as the Graves Amendment generally protects them from liability for a renter's negligence, unless the company itself was negligent, such as by renting a car with known brake defects.
Employers and work vehicles
When a driver is working within the scope of employment, the employer is generally responsible for the driver's negligence under respondeat superior. This can cover delivery drivers, sales staff and others who drive as part of the job. Rideshare crashes raise separate coverage questions, because the coverage that applies can depend on whether the app was on and whether a ride had been accepted. A motor vehicle accident attorney will usually ask for the employer's policy along with the driver's own.
Other parties that may share fault
A broken traffic signal, a missing stop sign or a dangerous road defect may involve a government agency. Claims against cities, counties and states face special immunity rules and short notice deadlines, and those rules vary by state. When a defective tire, brake or airbag contributed to the crash or the injuries, the manufacturer can face a product liability claim. Open recalls can be checked with the vehicle identification number on the NHTSA recall lookup. Some states have dram shop laws that allow claims against a bar that served a visibly intoxicated driver.
When a passenger is hurt
Passengers who are hurt may have claims against one driver or both, even the driver of their own vehicle. Coverage may come from the policy on the passenger's vehicle as well as from the other driver's policy, and sometimes from the passenger's own policy too. Some policies limit claims between members of the same household, which makes the wording of the policy important.
Comparative negligence and multiple parties
Most states apply comparative negligence, which may reduce a recovery by the injured person's percentage of fault, while a few jurisdictions still follow contributory negligence. How fault is divided among several defendants also varies by state. A car accident attorney reviews every possible party, since a single policy may not cover the whole loss. This is general information and not legal advice, and no outcome can be predicted from it.
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