Another reason not to go to a dealership for a oil change.

Another reason not to use the dealership for anything.

A customer is being sued by the victims of a tragic incident involving an unlicensed service technician and their Jeep.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/jeep-owner-sued-oil-change-dealership-michigan/

 

Some discussion about it starting here:


https://www.4runners.com/threads/tr...the-shop-do-the-oil-change.25978/#post-350145


Absolutely disgusting. The dealership is clearly at fault for being negligent. Feel terrible for the victim's family and the vehicle owner.

 

Have you ever wondered what happens when an idiot with an SR 22 policy (The General, Safe Auto, etc) allows his big-body 1986 rust bucket Benz run into the side of a Ferrari and total it?

The Ferrari's insurance will subrogate against the idiot's policy. His limits are 10K property damage (just an example, every state is different). The SR-22 Will hold that money hostage from the other insurance company until the other insurance company agrees to sign a release to prevent them from suing their customer for the rest of the balance.
Ferrari's boy's insurance eats the bill.

this case is clearly different for a wide variety of reasons, but most likely the owner of that vehicle is not going to have to pay anything out-of-pocket. The article already mentions at the dealership is going to have to end up paying anyway.

keep in mind that the owner of the jeep, his insurance is going to sue the dealership anyway for subrogation. And if that goes to arbitration, there is a chance arbitration can reason correctly that the business was given the vehicle with the clear scope of an oil change and that the dealer was grossly negligent for hiring a dweeb, not checking his license, or confirming he could drive a stick.

Freak combination of negligence, stupidity, and wrong place at wrong time (RIP to the service tech). This is not a reason to quit using dealerships, although I agree it's best to do as much as you can on your own.

 

It's just a good example of how stupid the court system can be. The fact that, in Michigan, an employer cannot be sued for negligence by an employee is ridiculous!

 

OMG dude ask anyone in the insurance industry, there are two states that are notoriously a pain in the rear for everyone. One, New York sucks because the New York adjusters license is impossibly difficult. Two, Michigan by far has the most jacked up insurance laws in the entire country. Everyone is forced to go through their own insurance regardless of who is at fault. My new understanding is Michigan recently had some revisions to their laws that I'm not familiar with, but Michigan is just demented when it comes to the whole insurance concept.

It also does not help that many people in the state are uninsured, and people drive absolutely insane on the freeways. Tri-County visits to family were always highlighted by at least two vehicles passing us at 100+ mph.

 

It's good to know that Michigan is exceptionally bad. I didn't know if that sort of stupidity was typical or not.

 

Its a shame man. Cause personally I think Michigan is dope AF. I love the tri-county area and wouldnt mind close access to Toronto, Chicago, and Columbus. DTW is a bomb airport too. Its just Brass Money Nuts cold in the winter.

 

I think it’s weird that somehow there is absolutely no recourse for the dealership letting an unlicensed driver operate a vehicle.

Then again, my wife is from Michigan and tells me it’s a fucked up place.

 

That's the most fucked up thing that I've read today

 

It sounds like they will be the ones to pay, even though they can't be sued (which is insane).

Such an odd and unfortunate set of circumstances and legal standards.

 

That’s crazy. So the owner/customer can just sue the dealership for the $15 mil to get repaid, probably the kid and his supervisor too. All this lawsuit stuff is ridiculous.

 

Private property, so I think it is not illegal. Stupid and dumb yes.

 

Wow...just wow...