Denton, TX asked in Personal Injury for Texas

Q: Hello, a friend of mine is being sued. He traded in his vehicle on 12/11/2018

and was served papers stating he let a person he does not know drive it and they caused a wreck. He did not even have possession of the vehicle at the time of the accident, February or March of 2019. The prosecuting attorney said he will have to prove he did not have possession of this vehicle or let this person who caused the wreck drive it. What should my friend do?

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1 Lawyer Answer
Teri A. Walter
Teri A. Walter
Answered
  • Houston, TX
  • Licensed in Texas

A: He should call his auto insurance carrier and see if they will accept the defense of this case immediately. If there is any problem with that, he should contact a lawyer to file an answer and defend the case. If he wasn't the one driving, the only way he can be liable is if he negligently entrusted the car to someone that he knew was likely to operate it unsafely. (For example, someone who did not have a valid license, who has DWI convictions, no insurance, or has some other indication of not being a safe driver.)

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