How an Oil Change Involving a Jeep Became a Tragic Accident

Learn how one routine oil change involving a Jeep became a tragic accident, thanks to an employee’s slip-up. But instead of the dealership being sued, the buyer may be on the hook for $100,000.
Written by Jason Crosby
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Most of us drive our vehicle to the shop or dealership for an oil change—and we don’t think much of it. However, one small slip involving a
Jeep
became the scene of a tragedy, after a mistake made by an unlicensed mechanic. Now, the owner of the Jeep, not the unlicensed worker, is being sued for the death of another shop mechanic. Despite seeming nonsensical, it’s a completely legal course of action for the family of the late mechanic to take. 
And when it comes to finding the most affordable insurance plans, your course of action should be to
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How did a mechanic lose their life during an oil change?

MotorTrend’s
coverage of the story explained how a mechanic working on a Jeep accidentally killed a coworker. 
The teenaged mechanic, who didn’t have a driver’s license, went to move the Jeep, which was a stick-shift. Not fully knowing how to operate the vehicle, he accidentally lurched the Jeep forward with enough force that it struck and unfortunately ended the life of one of the teen’s adult coworkers. 
Despite the incident having occurred all the way back in 2020, the lawsuit, filed by the deceased mechanic’s family, is only now gaining traction. 
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Why is the deceased mechanic’s family suing the Jeep’s owner? 

Thanks to legal protection, the dealership which employed both mechanics can’t be sued, regardless of whether the teenage mechanic was at fault for the other worker’s death. So instead, the family of the mechanic who was struck is suing the Jeep’s owner, due to a technicality in vehicle ownership laws. 
According to these laws, anything another driver does in the owner’s vehicle is still the owner’s fault, and that makes the owner the target of the lawsuit. The family will essentially try to recover the lost wages the family of the deceased mechanic believes that they deserve. But even though the owner is the target of the lawsuit, the dealership isn’t exactly off the hook.
MORE: How Much Should an Oil Change Cost?

The dealership might still have to cover the lost wages

While technically the owner is responsible for the employee’s death, the dealership might end up being the party who pays the victim’s family. This is because the owner of the Jeep is also suing the dealership as a result. 
This is creating a complicated, stacked legal case. Whoever is chosen as the party legally responsible for the death of the mechanic will pay his family a total of $100,000 in worker’s compensation and lost wages.   
MORE: Texas Woman's Car is Totaled During Oil Change
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