In every car accident
resulting to a personal injury case, it’s very important to establish who is
liable for the unfortunate event. Most of the time, it’s the person behind the
wheel, but the blame can also fall on someone else even if they were not
present. For instance, parents of a teen whose negligence resulted in an
accident can be liable for their child’s action. The question now is when can
parents be sued for their child’s actions?
Family Purpose Doctrine
In North Carolina and many
other states, there is a rule called Family Purpose Doctrine, which dictates
that the title owner of a vehicle is basically liable for negligent acts of a
family member using the car. If your teen gets into a wreck and injures someone
in the process, you can be sued. Most lawyers advise parents who are buying
their teens a car to put it in the teen’s name and buy them their own insurance
policy.
Incompetent Driver
Legally, if you let
your child drive, especially when you know that he or she is incompetent,
reckless or unfit to drive, you could be the person liable for any damage your
child might cause. What conditions can be considered incompetence, recklessness
or being unfit for teens? Letting the child drive despite being unlicensed or
inexperienced are some examples. Also, entrusting the car to a teen that has a
history of reckless driving or has an illness that affects their driving.
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