Metro Detroit Car Accident Attorney
Did you know that in the state of Michigan, you can be held liable for an automobile accident without being behind the wheel, or even present at the scene? Under the owner liability act, MCL 257.410 et seq., the owner of a motor vehicle is liable for any injuries caused by any person driving the vehicle with the owner’s express or implied consent or knowledge. Moreover, if the driver of the vehicle at the time of injury is the father, mother, sibling, child or other immediate family member of the owner, the law presumes that he or she was driving the vehicle with the owner’s knowledge or consent.
Furthermore, the law does not take into account whether the owner of the vehicle was negligent in lending his or her car to the operator who caused injury. Meaning you can incur legal liability whether the person you lent your car to has a perfect driving record or a poor one. The owner is liable simply by the fact that he or she owns the vehicle that caused injury.
So you may want to think twice the next time your neighbor asks you to lend them your car, or your teenage son or daughter tells you they are letting a friend borrow the car for a quick errand. You could be the one on the hook for someone else's negligence.