Valet Parking Services and Dram Shop Liability

When you drive for a living, you are acutely aware of how other people’s safety depends on your vigilance. For example, being a truck driver sounds like fun if you enjoy the open road; you get to leave your troubles behind while you listen to your favorite jams or podcasts, hour after hour, while earning so much money and so many benefits that your family would not dare to make you the target of their grievances when you come home. If you have ever driven a commercial truck, though, you know that it is a constant battle against drowsiness and distractions. Likewise, being a rideshare driver sounds like a chill way to earn freelance income; you get to have low stakes conversations with all kinds of people who are less courageous about driving than you are. Of course, when you do it, it is exhausting, because you are also dealing with the madness of South Florida drivers every day. By contrast, being a parking valet seems like a dream come true. You get to drive dozens of cars each day that are well outside your price range. While only the most skilled drivers can avoid wrecking their cars on any of the roads that intersect with 441, it is much easier not to crash during the short drive from the valet parking lot to the entrance of the venue where the customers drop off their cars. Several years ago in Broward County, a parking valet may have caused a fatal collision by returning the car keys to a vehicle owner who was too drunk to drive. To find out more about the legal responsibilities other than the drivers of cars involved in an accident, contact a Fort Lauderdale auto accident attorney.

Are Parking Valets Legally Responsible for Stopping Drunk Vehicle Owners From Driving?

Several years ago, Michael Price went to Sway Lounge with Nicole Weber. They dropped off Price’s car at the valet parking entrance and then went inside, where they attended a concert and drank alcohol. Afterwards, they went back to the valet parking stand to get the car, and Price took the keys to drive Weber home. The trouble is that they never made it home. Price caused a single vehicle collision, in which Weber died and he sustained injuries.

Weber’s mother filed a dram shop liability lawsuit, in which the plaintiff seeks damages from the venue where a drunk driver consumed alcohol before driving drunk and causing an accident that harmed the plaintiff. She also named the valet parking company, Marino Parking Systems, as a defendant, alleging that a Marino employee should have withheld the keys from Price instead of letting him drive drunk. The court ruled in favor of Marino Parking Systems, because according to Florida law, dram shop liability does not apply to valet parking companies.

Set Up a Consultation Today

A personal injury lawyer can help you get justice after a preventable accident where a customer drove drunk after leaving an establishment with valet parking.  Contact Boone & Davis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida or call 954-566-9919 to explore your potential recovery options today.

Source:

scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=6897771202719146776&q=dram+shop&hl=en&as_sdt=4,10&as_ylo=2000&as_yhi=2020