What will happen if a former roommate used my car without my knowledge and got into an accident that caused property damage?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What will happen if a former roommate used my car without my knowledge and got into an accident that caused property damage?
The person that she hits insurance company contacted me and said because they can’t contact the individual (roommate) that caused the accident, they are coming after me (the registered owner). They saod that I would be responsible for paying for the damage. What do I do?
Asked on April 1, 2013 under Accident Law, Nebraska
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Only if the roommate essentially stole your car would you have grounds to avoid liability. The owner of a car is responsible for all uses by permitted drivers--that includes if the driver who had the accident generally had permission to use the car, even if she did not specifically have permission this time. Therefore, if the roommate truly did not have permission to driver your car, you may wish to report that she had stolen it (though it may be too late, at this point, to do so--reporting a theft months later may lead everyone to conclude it was not actually a theft but simply an attempt to avoid liability). Also, if you know how to contact her, you could pass that information on; and if you do end up having to pay anything, you could in turn sue her to recover the money.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.