Getting into a limo for prom, your wedding day, a bachelor or bachelorette party, for work or for any other reasons is exciting. You are being whisked away in style, with plenty of room to spread out in the back, and likely a lot of adult beverages (if you aren’t headed to the prom). At the same time that riding in a limo is exciting it can also be scary. Do you really know if the driver will safely operate the vehicle? Has the driver been involved in prior accidents? Do they have a less than stellar driving record? You don’t know the answers to these questions. But one question that must be answered is: who is liable in a limo accident?
Limo Driver Has Duty of Care
Just like all other drivers on the roads of Tampa, limo drivers have a reasonable duty of care when it comes to their passengers. That’s what you are in a limo: a passenger. The reasonable duty of care exhibited by the limo driver must be done so under the circumstances and it must be done to avoid causing injury to the passengers in the limo as a result of negligent actions. If the limo driver was operating within the scope of their employment when the accident occurred, the limo company will be the party held liable for the accident and the subsequent damages.
Responsibilities of the Limo Company
A limo company has a duty of care that is owed to the drivers it employs and to its clients. That duty of care is to ensure that the vehicles it owns and operates are properly maintained. If the limos in the fleet are not properly maintained and issues with parts of a limo are found to have led to an accident or caused injury or death to a passenger, then the limo company can be held liable for those injuries.
Some issues that can lead to an accident or cause a passenger to suffer an injury in an accident if the vehicle is not cared for properly include the following:
- Insufficient tire treads
- No seatbelts or incorrectly working seatbelts
- Defective brakes
- Missing parts
If you are a passenger in a limo that is involved in an accident and you suffer injuries, or are killed like one of the 20 victims of the horrific limo crash in upstate New York recently, you medical bills will be covered by the no-fault part of the limo company’s insurance policy.
This part of the policy will help pay for prescription medication, physical therapy, bills from the hospital stay, co-payments for physician visits and more. There might also be benefits available for any lost wages due to time missed at work.
Schedule a Consultation Today
The minute you are injured in a limo accident you need to begin protecting your rights. There’s no reason you should have to pay for the medical treatment needed to care for the injuries caused by someone else. You also shouldn’t have to worry about losing income because of missed time at work. Contact the office of Dennis A. Lopez & Associates at 813-502-1836 to schedule your free consultation today.
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