There are lots of inherent risks associated with driving a friend or neighbor’s car. For one thing, it can raise a lot of complicated issues when it comes to car insurance and liability. However, if a car accident occurs when you’re driving someone else’s car, the owner of the car will usually be liable and not you. It’s still a good idea to work with a car accident lawyer in these cases, however, because there are lots of different factors involved.
If you get into an accident while driving your friend’s car, your friend will typically have to file the insurance claim and pay the auto insurance deductible. Your friend will also probably end up with higher insurance rates.
However, you still might have to cover some of the expenses involved in an accident like this. If you have auto insurance, you might have to cover the medical expenses and personal liability costs associated with the car accident.
Obviously, the situation will change if you were involved in an accident like this but didn’t actually cause it. The driver who was at fault will still be responsible. If you don’t have insurance, and you definitely caused an accident while driving a borrowed car, the situation can be particularly severe for the person who lent you the car. Working with a car accident lawyer will be essential under these circumstances.
Your friend or neighbor’s insurance policy might have limits. If those limits were already reached, you might need to use your own insurance in order to cover everything. If you were uninsured at the time of the accident and it’s a major accident that you definitely caused, it’s highly probable that your friend or neighbor’s auto insurance will be insufficient. The people who were injured in this car accident might sue your friend or neighbor over the property damages and medical expenses. You’ll absolutely need a car accident lawyer to help you handle a situation as difficult as this one.
One way or another, you should avoid driving someone’s else’s car unless you have auto insurance. The car owner’s insurance information and registration should be in the car’s glove box when you borrow the car. Before borrowing anyone’s car, it’s a good idea for both of you to discuss the situation with your insurers. You should make sure you know what to expect. If you are involved in a car accident and you aren’t in your own car or someone else crashes your car, contact a car accident lawyer at Robert J. Debry for help.