Can Auto Repair Shops Be Liable for a Car Accident?
To maintain vehicles and to ensure safe driving, most people rely on auto repair shops for their car upkeep. If your car has been carelessly repaired and maintained, the garage may be held responsible for any accident and injury that may occur as a result of their poor servicing work. Establishing liability in such cases can be very difficult, however. For this reason, you should always work with a skilled car accident attorney to ensure that negligent parties are held accountable.
Legal Duty of Alabama Auto Repair Shops
It is the responsibility of auto repair shops and the mechanics that work for them to ensure that vehicles in safe working order, in keeping with current professional standards. Licensed mechanics are trained to appropriately diagnose and correctly repair automobiles to ensure that any observable danger that could cause a collision or injury is rectified. All work done on automobiles must be per accepted standards in the field.
Some repair shops may try to absolve themselves of responsibility by posting a disclaimer saying that the business is not liable for any auto damage or accident due to repairs. But these disclaimers are generally not binding, and the garage cannot be absolved from liability due to negligent repairs based on such disclaimers.
There is liability for negligent repairs as well as liability for a vehicle accident that allegedly occurred due to that careless work, and they are not the same thing.
Types of Negligent Repair Work
If an auto repair shop does not undertake repairs to your vehicle according to industry standards, this can comprise negligent repair work. Poor maintenance and substandard repair work can cause further vehicle damage, rendering a vehicle unsafe to drive. The common forms of negligent work include the following:
- Failure to complete necessary repair work
- Purchasing and installing the incorrect replacement part
- Damaging other vehicle parts in the course of repair work
- Undertaking unnecessary or wrong procedures or repairs
- Inability to identify repairs that need to be done
- Permitting untrained or unqualified mechanics to conduct repair work
- Modifying vehicle parts illegally
- Leaving foreign objects or debris in the vehicle
Repair Shop Liability
If you think the garage is responsible for poor repair work, then you will likely have to prove negligence on the part of the shop. Similar to any negligence action, you will have to prove:
- that the repair shop had a duty of care in the situation (this is often a given due to the customer-garage relationship)
- that the repair shop or mechanic did not meet that standard (they acted in a negligent or careless manner when servicing your vehicle
- you incurred some damage or other loss due to that negligence
For instance, if you took your vehicle to have the brakes examined after an indicator light appeared on your dashboard. The repair shop mechanic detects the issue and recommends new brake pads but erroneously installs the incorrect brake pads for your car.
When returning home from the garage, you try to stop at a red signal, but your brakes do not work. Your vehicle moves into the intersection and collides with another vehicle. You suffer a fractured collarbone because of the crash. Here, the auto repair could be liable for your damages based on the negligent installation of unsuitable brake pads.
Proving your Case
Establishing that a repair shop or mechanic is at-fault for your injuries or other damages can be a complex process. The auto shop will almost always contend that the repairs were undertaken correctly and that any issues with the car were new and/or unrelated to the repairs done. Even if you believe that you can link a shoddy repair job to a crash, you can be assured that the shop will argue that the incident was an unanticipated event and not the mechanic’s fault.
A skilled auto accident lawyer can perform a comprehensive investigation as well as engage expert witnesses and accident reconstruction specialists. They can work hard to prove that the repair shop or mechanic was indeed negligent. Upon successfully proving your case, you may be entitled to both monetary and non-monetary damages arising from the accident.
How can an Alabama Accident Lawyer Help when a Mechanic is Negligent?
Various elements may impact whether a mechanic is negligent. The best person to assess these factors is an experienced lawyer. It is vital to work with an attorney or law firm that understands liability pertaining to auto repair shops and can fight hard for you. Our seasoned injury lawyers at Smith Law Firm in Alabama will evaluate your case, which may include:
- Review various facets of the case, consider the laws, and present your options to you
- Assist you in collecting necessary evidence, such as pictures, records, and expert testimony
- Follow all regulations and file documents as necessary for court in a timely manner
- Negotiate and settle your claim without going to trial, where possible
Our auto accident lawyers will make sure that we make the strongest possible case against a negligent repair shop or mechanic. Call today at (334) 702-1744 for an initial consultation.
