Vicarious Liability And South Carolina Personal Injury Cases
What are personal injury lawyers thinking when they run TV advertisements that make it sound like they can easily make tens of thousands of dollars, or even more, materialize in the pockets of people injured in car accidents? Alternatively, what is the television audience thinking? The dreams of money raining from the sky disappear quickly when, during the initial consultation with a car accident attorney, the attorney and the client agree that the at fault driver is flat broke, too, so that suing him would merely be an exercise in having the last word and would not improve the client’s financial situation. If it were not possible for injured people to recover damages for accidents caused by people who have no money, all personal injury lawyers would have given up on the profession long ago. It is often possible to recover compensation through other parties who are legally responsible for the accident, either through an insurance claim or by going to court. The doctrine of vicarious liability is when someone is legally responsible for damage caused by another person’s actions. To find out more about whether vicarious liability is applicable to your case, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.
When Are Employers Liable for Injuries Caused by Their Employees?
In car accident cases, most vicarious liability claims are against employers whose employees caused a car accident. In order for vicarious liability to apply in cases like these, the employee must have been driving as part of his or her work duties, not merely commuting from home to work. Your vicarious liability claim is stronger if the vehicle also belonged to the employer.
When Are Vehicle Owners Liable for Injuries Caused by Their Vehicles?
In many contexts, the owner of an item of property is legally responsible for injuries caused by that item of property; this is why it is possible to sue the owner of a dog if the dog bites you. With vehicle owners, it is not quite that simple. The vehicle owner is only responsible if he or she has authorized the driver to drive the car. Therefore, if the vehicle owner’s spouse or chauffeur is driving, then the vehicle owner is responsible. If you get hit by a stolen vehicle, the owner of the stolen vehicle is not legally responsible, since he or she did not give the driver permission to steal it or to buy it stolen.
When Are Parents Liable for Injuries Caused by Their Minor Children?
Parents are usually legally responsible for accidents caused by their minor children, even if the minor isn’t driving. For example, the parents are responsible if a 13-year-old rides a bike across a city street and you brake to avoid hitting him, causing the car behind you to rear end you.
Let Us Help You Today
The car accident lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you were injured in a car accident caused by someone who did not own the vehicle that hit yours. Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.
Source:
scstatehouse.gov/code/t15c038.php
