Car Insurance Question in Utah
Reader’s Question:
The person who was part of the car wash drove a stranger’s Mercedes Benz into my vehicle in Layton UT. The motorist had no insurance. Is the church car wash liable for using an uninsured motorist to drive a vehicle? Is it solely the motorist’s fault? If the car owner of the Mercedes told the uninsured driver to drive the vehicle, is it the fault of the Mercedes’ owner – and his insurance cover the damage?
Tom
Layton, UT
If the car owner of the Mercedes gave permission to the driver, then the driver will be covered under that insurance policy. If that insurance policy has ‘property damage liability’ coverage, you will need to access it to fix your vehicle. If the insurance policy of the Mercedes Benz has ‘collision’ coverage, that will be used to fix any damage to that car. There may be a deductible that may apply that the motorist may be held responsible. If the church had bought some sort of liability insurance for the car wash that may be useable; but, I do not know if the church can be held accountable for this. (You will need to seek out legal advice regarding this.) Basically, the driver and the car owner of the Mercedes (if that person gave permission to the driver to drive the car) are at fault for this accident in Layton.
