Yes, in Massachusetts at least. When you lend your car to a friend, you take
on risk. As you can imagine, the losses
can be significant. Take the factual
situation described in In re Gentile,
where a judgment was entered against car owners for millions for an accident
caused by their grandson while he was driving their car with their apparent
consent. Gentile v. DeGiacomo (In re Vittorio and Lydia Gentile)
B.A.P. Docket No. 12-071 (decided May 20, 2013). (Even before judgment, the plaintiff in the
case obtained a pre-trial attachment on the Gentile’s real estate.) After judgment, the Gentiles filed for bankruptcy, but to
date, that effort has not stopped the trustee from getting approval to sell their
investment property. The story continues
on at this time, but it may end that the car owners here lose a significant
amount of money from the damages physically caused by their grandson while using their car. The bottom line is that,
as the car owner, you may incur significant liability for the damages caused by another person
driving your car.
The moral of the story is to realize that you are taking
on risk when you lend your car out to a friend or family member and to consider
the same before handing over the keys.
In the event that you think talking to a lawyer about a
legal situation you face, with respect to liability or otherwise, feel free to
give this office a call.
Thanks for the information. That's pretty bad if you become responsible for someone else's fault. Well, to be more aware of the law on personal injury, I think visiting an accident lawyer would really help.
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