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Nys - What Is Fair In Resolving Financial Responsibility After A Car Accident? [21m] And [21f]

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We, 21M and 21F (together for 8 months), are trying to resolve a disagreement about financial responsibility following a car accident. Here are the agreed-upon facts:

  • The boyfriend (BF) and girlfriend (GF) were heading on a ski trip with friends, using GF’s car. GF doesn’t enjoy driving long distances, so BF offered to drive her car, and GF agreed.
  • The accident occurred on a snowy (~0.5" covering roads) morning shortly after leaving BF’s house. BF was driving on local roads at about 15 mph when the car hit a patch of ice, skidded, and struck a telephone pole. The passenger-side airbag deployed, and GF experienced whiplash. She had an ambulance called and took a precautionary trip to the emergency room at the advice of the EMTs. She spent two days at BF's house dealing with soreness from whiplash.
  • The car was deemed a total loss by insurance. GF’s family (who owned the car, handled the back-and-forth calls and emails with insurance, and conducted their own research on the value of the car) received the value of the car minus a $1000 deductible. GF decided to scrap the car rather than repair it.
  • GF’s parents had to spend significant time dealing with insurance logistics, including driving the totaled car three hours to a local shop for repair estimates. GF has been without a car for over a month and relies on rides from others for work. GF lives on a college campus, but had a hybrid job that required at least 1 day a week in person.
  • Insurance deemed the accident no-fault. Insurance premium increases are still unknown, but GF worries it could be $100s if not $1000s more over the course of the next three years. While GF emphasized that BF was not at fault and that the accident could have happened to anyone, she believes that by offering to drive in snowy conditions, BF assumed responsibility for the vehicle and its safety.

What is the legal responsibility of BF in terms of payment?

submitted by /u/BoysenberryOk6976
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