Posted on 05/05/2022 3:55:44 PM PDT by Morgana
The owner of a Jeep became embroiled in a legal nightmare after he handed the keys of his vehicle to a Michigan dealership where a mechanic died while working on his car.
The family of Jeffrey Hawkins, 42, is suing the Jeep owner, who has not been named, for $15million over the death of the veteran mechanic.
Hawkins, a married father-of-four, was killed on March 13, 2020, while changing the Jeep's oil at Rochester Hills Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership in Michigan.
A 19-year-old fellow mechanic, who didn't know how to drive a shift stick and did not have a driver's license, had started the car and removed his feet from the clutch causing the Jeep to jump forward.
Hawkins, who was performing an oil change at the time, was ran over and died instantly.
It is unclear why the 19-year-old mechanic was hired despite his lack of qualifications. A lawyer for the dealership declined to comment.
Under Michigan law, employees cannot sue their employers or fellow staff members for accidents that happen in the workplace.
David Femminineo, an attorney representing Hawkins' family admitted that the lawsuit 'seems unfair' but argued that the man who had taken his Jeep to the dealership is still legally liable for the tragedy.
'If you go to lunch and give your car to someone and an accident happens, you'd be liable for that. Same thing happens here,' Femminineo told DailyMail.com Thursday.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Sounds to me this is the fault of the car dealership.
Plus I understand most can't drive a stick and would say "I can't drive a stick let me go get so and so who can" What is wrong with this kid?
Say wut?
They’re just looking for somebody to harass since they can’t sue the employer. 🤪
I bet the Jeep owner didn’t give permission for an unlicensed idiot to drive
The counter suit should be huge.
The first thing we need to do is Kill all the Lawyers
What he said!
The attorney should be horse whipped until he learns not to file suits like this.
The jeep owner must have the best insurance coverage or personal net worth.
incidious......killing America by lawsuit as lotto takes too long.
Okay dear kind attorney....How about $1 instead of $15 mil. Nevermind...you get a third...that’s why.
I’d go after the attorney and his client for sanctions. I’d file a bar complaint to boot.
How does anyone involved look themselves in the mirror?
“Under Michigan law, employees cannot sue their employers or fellow staff members for accidents that happen in the workplace.”
1. Stupid law.
2. The owner did not give the Jeep the inexperienced 19 year old mechanic.
3. The lawsuit one of those where true neglicence is trumped simply by “who else can we sue”.
Or the insurance company.
Come to think of it, I’d counterclaim against the mechanic’s estate for damage to the car.
The Jeep owner might have a better lawsuit against the dealership for their negligence in employing someone who could not legally operate a vehicle.
I would suspect the mechanic’s family’s lawsuit against the Jeep owner would be thrown on.
Some places (cities/states) do have quirky laws, however.
Guy was killed on March 13 of 2020.
Was it a Friday the 13th?
Call it a Covid death and move on.
And the family does not have standing (John Roberts would approve).
Somehow I don’t think that is exactly true.
Simple, the attorney should be disbarred for life and both he/she AND the family of the mechanic who brought this idiotic claim should have to split paying the legal fees of the defendants.
This isn’t a hard one.
Suing family should be run over.
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