The phrase “respondeat superior” may sound Greek to you, but
this Latin word can have important legal consequences. In short, the doctrine
of respondeat superior means that an employer may be held responsible for the
careless or reckless decisions of its employee.
Is this legal doctrine at work in the recent accident that
occurred near Dallas’s Oasis Apartments? It could be. According to reports,
last week a resident of the complex ran after a tow truck that was carrying
away his car, presumably for committing a parking infraction. Whatever the
reason, what happened next was horrifying: the tow truck driver ran over the
man chasing after him – and drove away from the accident scene.
Two questions are particularly important in this case:
first, did the tow truck driver act with reasonable care and second, was he
acting with the scope of his employment? If the first answer is “No” and the
second answer is “Yes,” the facts may be sufficient to trigger the doctrine of
respondeat superior – and the employer’s liability.
Have you been in an accident with a commercial driver, such
as a delivery person, tow truck driver, or 18-wheeler driver? The doctrine of
respondeat superior may be at work in your case, too. Find out what that means
for your potential recovery by contacting the attorneys and professionals at Fears
| Nachawati. For your free consultation, call us at
1.866.322.6898 or email us at http://www.fnlawfirm.com/contact.cfm.
We can help!
