Limousine Service Sued for Crash Injury Pt. 2

<href=”/personal-injury/”>Personal Injury Lawyers | Plaintiffs allege driver was negligent because he:

• Failed to maintain control of the vehicle;
• Did not lower his speed to avoid striking the construction barrier;
• Was driving at a speed that was higher than reasonable;
• Operated the vehicle without regard for the conditions of traffic;
• Failed to stay inside his own lane.

In addition to not being old enough to operate this limousine across state lines, the driver apparently wasn’t even a very good one. According to media reports, he’d been cited with at least five traffic offenses in the three-year period prior to the crash. Those previous offenses included following too closely and speeding. His driver’s license had been suspended just last September for not timely paying a traffic fine.

The plaintiffs in the case assert the limousine service knew or should have known the driver wasn’t old enough to operate a commercial vehicle from state-to-state and further that he had a history of unsafe driving. The company is accused of negligent hiring, negligent retention and negligent supervision. Additionally, the company may also be found vicariously liable, as employers can be deemed liable for the negligent actions of employees acting in the scope of employment, even if the company itself didn’t do anything wrong.

An investigation by federal authorities revealed the company did not conduct background checks on its workers. Further, the company didn’t keep maintenance records on its vehicles and it also didn’t keep track of its drivers to prevent fatigue. Additionally, while the FMCSA requires for-hire vehicles that cross state lines are supposed to maintain $1.5 million in liability insurance, this company didn’t have liability insurance information on file. Further, it hadn’t filed its safety registration in over three years.

Of course, it would be foolish to think this is the only limousine service that operates this way. In cases where passengers are injured, an experienced Tampa, FL injury attorney can help.

Call today for a confidential consultation from our trusted personal injury lawyers at Printy Law Firm  | Tampa 813.434.0649 | Tallahassee 850.877.7299