Who Is Liable in a Car Accident?
Most car crash claims start with the other driver, but the driver is not always the only party who may be responsible. 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, since each responsible party may carry its own insurance.
Driver negligence
Negligence asks whether a driver failed to act with reasonable care. Typical examples include distracted driving, speeding, impaired driving, following too closely and failing to yield. In many states, violating a traffic law can be evidence of negligence, and some states apply negligence per se. A traffic citation helps a claim, but it is not required to prove fault, and paying a ticket is treated differently from state to state. A car accident attorney will measure the driver's conduct against the traffic laws where the crash happened.
Owners and rental companies
If the driver borrowed the car, the owner's insurance policy often covers permissive drivers. 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, for example by renting out a car with a known brake defect.
When the driver was working
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 apply to delivery drivers, sales staff and others who drive for work. 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 car accident lawyer will usually ask for the employer's policy along with the driver's own.
Road defects and product defects
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. 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. In some states, a bar that served a visibly intoxicated driver may face a dram shop claim.
When a passenger is hurt
A passenger hurt in a crash may have claims against either 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 in some cases from the passenger's own policy. Certain policies restrict claims between relatives who live in the same household, which makes https://caraccidentlawyers.wiki/geography/united-states/georgia/metro-atlanta/sandy-springs/ the wording of the policy important.
Comparative negligence and multiple parties
Most states apply comparative negligence, which can reduce a recovery by the injured person's share of fault, while a few jurisdictions still follow contributory negligence. How fault is divided among several defendants also varies by state. An automobile accident lawyer looks at every possible party because one policy may not cover the full loss. This article is general information, not legal advice, and it cannot predict how a claim will turn out.