Am I Responsible?
“But the car is in my name…”
People often contact our office, worried because they loaned their car to a friend, who then caused a crash. While these callers want to Own It – Be Accountable, they are normally concerned about two things: (1) the injured person; and (2) whether the caller is responsible.
They are relieved to learn that under Alaskan law, simply owning a car that is involved in a Crash is not enough to make the owner responsible for the crash.
Simply owning a car that is involved in a Motor Vehicle Crash rarely results in the owner being responsible. I say “rarely” because it is technically possible, just highly unlikely.
Tell Me More…
Responsibility requires something more … negligence.
Once you strip away all the lawyerease, “negligence” is normally just doing something stupid … sliding through a Stop sign … crossing the center-line into on-coming traffic … turning left across an occupied lane. Being negligent doesn’t necessarily make a person “bad” or a criminal who belongs in jail. It just makes the person a (temporary) dumb-ass.
Heck, I normally do ten stupid things, before lunch. You probably do too. If you or I hurt somebody while we’re being stupid, that is where we are accountable.
The key to understanding negligence and personal injury law is recognizing that we must “own our stupid.” We must be accountable.
If we do something stupid (negligent) and hurt another person, we must own it. When you knock somebody off a horse, the right thing to do is to pick them up, dust them off, and get them back down the trail.
The Merdes Law Firm has been helping injured Alaskans for more than 30 years. It’s who we are. And while we hope you never need us … We’re here if you do. ~ Ward Merdes
Image Source: Camarta Chiropractic
