Can A Mechanic Be Responsible For Your Car Accident? 

Posted in Car accidents on February 22, 2023

We depend on our vehicles, and we depend on them running correctly. Unfortunately, there are times when vehicles break down. When we bring our vehicle to a mechanic, we trust that they will fix the problem appropriately. Unfortunately, there may be times when a mechanic makes a mistake or fails to address the issue adequately. Mechanics and auto shops could be held responsible if their negligence directly causes an accident and injuries.

How to Prove Mechanic or Auto Repair Shop Negligence

There may be various ways that a mechanical auto repair shop could be negligent in their duties, thereby leading to a vehicle accident. If you believe that a mechanic or repair shop is responsible, ask yourself if any of these situations seem like your particular incident:

  • The repair was not completed as expected or requested
  • The mechanic caused further damage while repairing something
  • Defective parts were used or installed
  • There were parts unnecessarily removed or altered
  • A mechanic performed an illegal modification
  • A tool or another foreign object was left inside the car
  • The mechanic or repair shop failed to identify a known safety hazard
  • The repair shop allowed untrained or unqualified workers to perform work

Holding a mechanic or repair shop accountable involves proving that the four elements of negligence were present:

  1. Duty. Establishing that there was a duty of care owed by the mechanic to the plaintiff demonstrates legal responsibility. If you were a customer of the mechanic and repair shop, then they owed you a duty of care.
  2. Breach. After establishing that there was a duty of care, it needs to be shown that the mechanic or repair shop failed to uphold that duty. This could include a breach we already indicated on the list above or some other failure of duty.
  3. Causation. After establishing that there was a breach of duty, it must be shown that the breach directly caused the accident.
  4. Damages. Finally, it is important to show that there was some sort of financial loss as a result of the breach of duty and the accident.

Determining negligence in these situations involves a complete investigation. Not only does this include an investigation of the scene of the crash and the vehicle, but also an examination of repair records and even digging into the history of the auto repair shop and the mechanic in question.

Compensation Available After an Incident

There may be various types of compensation available in these situations. The ultimate goal is to recover both economic and non-economic damages for a crash victim. Economic damages are those types of losses that have direct dollar values, including medical bills, lost wages, property damage expenses, and any out-of-pocket expenses. Non-economic damages are harder to quantify because they relate to how the incident has affected the individual mentally and physically. This can include compensation for pain and suffering, reduced quality of life, scarring and disfigurement, and mental anguish.

There is no set amount of compensation paid to plaintiffs in these situations. Rather, a variety of factors will be examined, including the severity of the injuries and the length of the recovery time period in these situations, there may be shared fault between the auto mechanic and repair shop along with other drivers on the roadway, and this could affect total compensation amounts and where the compensation comes from. If you or a loved one has been involved in a car accident caused by a mechanical defect, contact our Nashville car accident lawyers today.