By: Mark Lovett
Car accidents in places like San Diego aren’t just about who was behind the wheel. Sure, the driver is often the first person people look at. But liability, that is, who’s legally responsible, doesn’t always land on just one person.
In a busy and fast-growing city like San Diego, known for its dense traffic corridors, tourism, and ongoing construction zones, the answer to “who pays?” can be layered, depending on what caused the accident and who contributed to it. Multi-vehicle crashes, rideshare collisions, and accidents involving delivery trucks are all more common here than in smaller cities. That’s exactly why many injured people turn to a San Diego car accident lawyer at Singleton Schreiber, because determining fault isn’t always an easy procedure.
Here are the top culprits in a car accident case:
The Car Driver
Drivers are usually the main party responsible when an accident happens. They’re the ones making minute-by-minute decisions behind the wheel. If they run a red light, speed, or get distracted while texting, the consequences fall squarely on them.
However, the courts look at everything, not just what happened in the moment, but all the decisions made in the lead-up to it.
The Car Owner
If you let someone borrow your car and they get into an accident, under something called negligent entrustment, you could be held liable. This doctrine basically says, If you hand over your keys to someone you should’ve known was unsafe to drive, you may be held liable.
That includes:
- Someone without a valid license
- Someone with a history of reckless driving
- Someone you knew was drunk, high, or not fit to drive
The law could argue you should’ve known better and hold you partly responsible. In another scenario, if you own the car and you knew it needed new tires or the brakes were squeaking for weeks, but you didn’t fix it, you could be at fault even if someone else was driving. Routine maintenance isn’t optional, and the law sees it as your responsibility.
The Manufacturer
If the vehicle had a design or manufacturing defect, for instance, brakes that don’t work under certain conditions, then the company that made the car could be held liable. This is especially true if there’s a recall or a known issue and the company didn’t act fast enough to fix it.
The Mechanic
Mechanics aren’t just responsible for fixing problems; they’re also responsible for not causing new ones.
For example, during a simple oil change, if the mechanic forgets to secure the oil cap and the engine seizes up while driving, that’s on them. Or if they install brake pads incorrectly and the car can’t stop in time again, that liability shifts to the mechanic.
The Company Behind the Drivers
Commercial drivers include people driving for a company, whether it’s deliveries, rideshares, or trucking. Liability often doesn’t stop at the driver. The company can get pulled in too, depending on what they did (or didn’t do).
Here’s where companies get into trouble:
- They keep dangerous drivers on the road, even after multiple accidents.
- They pressure drivers to keep going, even when they’re tired or sick.
- They push drivers to ignore legal driving hour limits, especially truckers.
- They force them to drive in unsafe conditions, like storms or when they’re ill.
When companies prioritize profits over safety, and that contributes to a crash, they don’t get to walk away from the consequences. In legal terms, they may share liability, meaning both the driver and the company can be sued and forced to pay.
About the Author: Mark is a tenured writer for NewsWatch, focusing on technology and emerging trends. Mark gives readers insight into how tomorrow’s innovations will transform our relationship with technology in everyday life.
