When you take your vehicle in to an auto shop for repairs, you should be able to trust that you are getting high-quality service that will make your vehicle safe for operation on the road. However, if your mechanic was negligent in the work done on your vehicle and failed to perform the repairs or maintenance properly or to a sufficient level of professionalism, the mechanic could be liable for an ensuing accident.
Examples of negligent repair work could include:
- Failure to complete required repairs
- Failure to identify repairs or other issues that needed work
- Performing incorrect repairs or maintenance work
- Illegal modification of vehicle parts
- Damaging other parts of the vehicle while performing normal repair work
- Installing or ordering an incorrect replacement part
- Leaving foreign objects inside a vehicle
- Performing maintenance or repair work without the proper qualifications or training
Auto shops owe their customers a duty of care to perform work that makes their vehicles reasonably safe for operation. If you are to prove negligence on the part of a mechanic, you will need to demonstrate the mechanic violated that duty of care and failed to meet the level of service expected. You’ll also need to prove your accident and resulting losses were a direct result of that breach of duty. This means creating a clear link between the mechanic’s actions and the specific part that failed and caused your accident.
This can be a complicated process, so it is crucial you work with an experienced personal injury attorney. For more information about how to proceed with your case, contact a trusted Sarasota accident lawyer at Goldman, Babboni, Fernandez & Walsh.