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Bought A Lemon Car And It Almost Killed You? What To Do Next

13 February 2017

Deann Miles

Most car dealerships try to keep business on the up and up, but there are always a few out there that make you question the integrity of all car dealerships. These dealerships sell pre-owned vehicles, often without an inspection or certification of safety, despite what the sticker label says. If you unwittingly bought a car from these cheats and that car was a lemon that almost killed you, here is what you can do next (legally speaking).

Sue the Dealer That Sold You the Car

First and foremost, sue the dealer that sold you the car. Your injuries are a direct result of an accident from buying a car from scoundrels. You can show any number of texts, repair bills, emails, and other documentation to show that after you took ownership of the vehicle, it rapidly declined and became a money pit. Make sure you show this documentation to your personal injury lawyer so that he/she can build your case around it.

Sue the Dealership

Since the owner of the dealership and the head of sales person are both responsible for conducting thorough examinations of vehicles before placing them on the lot for sale, sue them too. Had they actually done what they were supposed to, you would not have been injured in an accident where parts of the vehicle failed. As long as they did not sell you the car "as is," they are responsible for clearing the car as a road-safe vehicle and clearing it to be a sale-ready vehicle.

Back-Track to the Previous Owner

The DOT usually keeps very good records regarding vehicle ownership. If possible, ask them for the previous owner's contact information. If you cannot get this information personally, ask your lawyer to get it. Your lawyer can use his/her pull and various court documents to extract that information. Then the two of you can track down the previous owner and ask him/her about the vehicle's known problems at the time that the previous owner either sold it to the dealership or traded it in for a new car.

If the previous owner says that he/she was aware of issues with the vehicle and that he/she made the dealership aware of the same issues, then you have another witness for your case. This previous owner can prove that the vehicle had problems and that the dealership clearly did not fix them. Since it is not the previous owner's fault, however, do not sue him/her for your near-fatal injuries.

For more information, contact local professionals like Erickson Law Office.

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