Who Can Be Held Responsible for an Auto Accident?
Most car crash claims begin with the other driver, but the driver is not always the only responsible party. An employer, the vehicle owner, a government agency or a parts maker can also play a role. Identifying every party with legal responsibility is an early task for a car 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 apply negligence per se. A traffic citation helps a claim, but it is https://caraccidentlawyers.wiki/reference/drunk-driving/ not required to prove fault, and the effect of paying a ticket differs by state. An auto accident attorney will compare the driver's conduct with the traffic laws of the state where the crash happened.
The vehicle owner
When the driver borrowed the car, the owner's policy often covers permissive users. The owner may also face a negligent entrustment claim for lending a car to someone known to be unlicensed, impaired or unsafe. 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
If the driver was acting within the scope of employment, the employer is usually answerable 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, since the available coverage can depend on whether the app was on and a ride had been accepted. A motor vehicle accident attorney will typically request the employer's policy in addition to the driver's.
Other parties that may share fault
A missing stop sign, a broken traffic signal or a dangerous road defect may point to a government agency. Claims against public bodies come with special immunity rules and short notice deadlines, and those rules vary by state. If a defective tire, brake or airbag contributed to the crash or the injuries, the manufacturer may face a product liability claim. Open recalls can be checked with the vehicle identification number on the NHTSA recall lookup. In some states, a bar that served a visibly intoxicated driver may face a dram shop claim.
Claims by passengers
Passengers who are hurt may have claims against one driver or both, even the driver of their own vehicle. Coverage can come from the policy on the car the passenger rode in and from the other driver's policy, and sometimes from the passenger's own policy too. Certain policies restrict claims between relatives who live in the same household, which makes the wording of the policy important.
How shared fault affects the claim
Most states use comparative negligence, which may reduce a recovery by the injured person's percentage of fault, while a small number still apply contributory negligence. States also differ in how fault is divided among several defendants. A car wreck lawyer reviews every possible party, since a single policy may not cover the whole loss. This article is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot predict how a claim will turn out.