Vicarious Liability

The Texas Lawyers at our Law Office Explain the Concept of Vicarious Liability

While surprising to some, in certain instances a party can be held responsible for the negligence of others – a principle known as vicarious liability. The principle often comes into play in personal injury lawsuits.

Consider a traffic accident in which a delivery truck rams into a car, injuring the driver of the car. If the driver of the truck was at fault, not only can the trucker be held liable, but also the company that employed the trucker as well.

Most typically, vicarious liability affects traffic accidents involving commercial vehicles, but this principle can be brought into play in other types of accidents. For example, John Jones has been drinking heavily, and he asks to borrow his buddy Steve Smith’s car for the afternoon to run errands. Mr. Smith gives Mr. Jones the keys to his car despite the fact that Mr. Smith knows Mr. Jones may be legally drunk. Mr. Jones then gets into a drunken-driving accident and injures another party. Mr. Smith would be liable for giving his car keys to a drunken driver and subject to a lawsuit for vicarious liability called negligent entrustment.

Dealing with a case involving vicarious liability is an intricate undertaking that requires the expertise of a knowledgeable attorney. Separate claims must be filed for each defendant, and it takes experience to know how much damages should be assessed to each party responsible based upon their contributory negligence.

At our Law Office, our attorneys have 20 years of experience handling personal injury cases all over Texas, and our seasoned lawyers know how to handle cases involving more than one defendant. We will make sure that you and your family receive equitable restitution for the injury you have suffered. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, and you think vicarious liability might be involved, call our Law Office today for a free consultation.