Michigan car owner sued after Jeep kills mechanic during oil change
A Michigan man who left his car at a dealership for an oil change and tire rotation is being sued after his vehicle killed a mechanic.
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This will make your head hurt
- Thread starter sami weinbergstein
- Start date
Saw this earlier. Interesting take from the lawyer, that the vehicle owner is responsible for the actions of another person operating a vehicle. Umm, pretty sure that is the purpose of insurance.
By his definition, Jeep should also be on the hook for manufacturing/selling a vehicle that requires a small measure of intelligence to operate safely.
By his definition, Jeep should also be on the hook for manufacturing/selling a vehicle that requires a small measure of intelligence to operate safely.
Grubbers gonna grub
That is the purpose of insurance. But if you let me drive your car and I have an at fault accident, you could be sued. Then your insurance policy would cover it, up to policy limits. Insurance follows the vehicle, not the driver. Your insurance is on the hook if its your car, no matter who is driving, as long as it's legal.
Not saying it's right, but they may have a legal case.
The dealership's insurance should be primary, I would think, but the lawyer is going to sue everyone, and why not? It doesn't cost him much, and each insurance company may throw some money at him to make it go away.
No argument there. Still a messed up situation because of incompetence.
If the Dealership requires the owner to give up the keys so the vehicle can be serviced, liability should now fall upon the Dealership. How is the vehicle owner supposed to know that the person he was required to give the keys to, was also unable to safely operate the vehicle? I have NEVER seen a dealership allow customers to operate their own vehicles past the garage/bay entrance. Usually the vehicle gets parked in the lot and you pick it up when the work is complete.
Bad all the way around. Deceased employee's family/heirs likely being screwed over by the Dealership. The 'at-fault' employee (Who likely was doing what he was told to do or be fired) has to deal with guilt and long term consequences. Vehicle owner getting sued because the Dealership service department is operated/managed by incompetents.
The insurance company has already paid up to its limits, a crazy Michigan law does not allow the family to sue the dealership owner for hiring a mechanic with no drivers license or any clue how to drive a manual transmission at a jeep dealership of all places.
Michigan law pretty much says if you own it you are responsible for whatever anyone does in it....The whole thing is exposing a bunch of stupid laws.
Michigan law pretty much says if you own it you are responsible for whatever anyone does in it....The whole thing is exposing a bunch of stupid laws.
"Ir was the car's fault."
You are correct. It's just that the owner/insured is named as the defendant, which makes this story much more dramatic than it really is.
Insurance follows the vehicle, and if it it being operated by a permissive driver (who is not excluded by the terms of the policy), the insurance covers the accident.
So it's not nearly as bizarre as it sounds.
Employees right of action against an employer are limited in every state. The family couldn't sue the employer in Georgia either.
The employer has paid some worker's compensation benefits, which is not mentioned in the article, Just that those benefits are much less than $5 million.
