Taxi Driver Crosses Median and Hits SUV in St. Johns County, Florida Accident
A taxi driver driving south on U.S. 1 in St. Johns County, Florida lost control of his vehicle, crossed the median and crashed into an SUV, according to an article on News3Jax.com. The driver of the taxi was killed in the crash, and the three occupants of the SUV were taken to the hospital.
Fault and liability for a crash like this are typically pretty easy for a personal injury or wrongful death lawyer to prove. When a vehicle crosses the median and crashes into another vehicle in the oncoming lane, the driver who left his/her lane of travel will almost always be exclusively liable for the crash and resulting injuries unless it can be shown that another driver caused him/her to leave his/her lane.
Assuming the taxi driver is at fault in a crash like this, who is liable for the injuries to the people in the other vehicle? Of course, the driver of the vehicle that caused the crash will be liable so a claim can be made against his insurance company. However, when the driver is working at the time of the crash, i.e. he/she is driving within the course and scope of his/her employment, then the employer is also liable for any damages caused by the driver in an accident. In this case, the taxi company may also be liable for the injuries caused by the taxi driver if the taxi driver was working at the time the accident occurred.
Finally, in Florida, owners of vehicles are liable for accidents caused by the drivers of their vehicles, as long as the driver had permission or authorization to drive the vehicle. So, if an owner lets another person borrow a car or a person buys a car and puts it in his/her name but allows another person to use it, that owner is liable for any damages caused by the driver in an accident.
So, there are potentially three separate persons, entities or insurance policies that may be liable to pay damages when a driver causes injuries to another in an accident- the driver, his/her employer and the owner of the vehicle.
