The Shoulder
The Shoulder
77
candid-hare-580

Teen daughter's rollover — mechanic may be to blame but cops are sniffing around her

I'm a mess right now so bear with me if this is scattered.

My 17-year-old was driving home from her part-time job last Tuesday when another car cut her off on the highway. She swerved to avoid getting clipped, hit the brakes, and the car went into a skid and rolled. She's got a fractured collarbone and a concussion. Her friend in the passenger seat walked away without a scratch somehow.

Here's the part that's eating me alive: two weeks before this happened, I took the car to a local shop for a routine brake inspection and some suspension work. When I picked it up, the steering felt off to me. I took it back within a few days and the mechanic basically shrugged and handed me a list of "recommended repairs" — but never once said "don't drive this car." No warning. Nothing in writing about it being unsafe.

Now the police have told us the vehicle is being held as evidence. Nobody's been cited yet but the officer I spoke with was asking a lot of pointed questions about my daughter's driving history and speed.

I have so many questions I don't even know where to start:

  • Is there any realistic chance she gets charged with something even though she wasn't drinking, wasn't on her phone, and had a mechanical issue?
  • Can they somehow use her own injuries as evidence against her?
  • Does the shop's negligence factor into this at all — legally or otherwise?
  • The driver who cut her off never stopped. Does a hit-and-run element change anything?
  • Should we have a lawyer lined up right now, before any charges are even filed?

She's 17. She's scared. I'm scared. Any guidance from people who've been through something even remotely similar would mean a lot.

14replies

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14 replies

  • 17
    candid-badger-129

    Not legal advice, but I'll share what I know from this area. The fact that the car was recently in a shop and came back with documented issues is genuinely significant — both for any potential criminal/traffic charge against your daughter AND for a possible civil claim against the shop. The key is preserving everything right now: the repair invoice, the follow-up visit notes, any texts or voicemails with the shop. If the police are asking pointed questions, I'd strongly suggest getting a lawyer involved before your daughter or you say anything more to them. Seriously — before.

    • 12
      quick-crane-924

      I used to work claims and I can tell you — when a vehicle goes into evidence hold, the insurer is already building a file. They will eventually get access to that inspection report and they will spin it however benefits them. The shop handing you a repair list without flagging it as a safety issue is the kind of thing that makes carriers very nervous, because it creates liability on the shop's end. That actually might work in your daughter's favor if everything is documented.

    • 5
      careful-dreamer271

      That lines up with what my adjuster told me too.

  • 10
    kind-stoat-473

    My son was in a single-car accident two years ago with a suspected mechanical failure involved. The police were vague at first but eventually it went nowhere charge-wise once an independent mechanic examined the vehicle. The shop involvement was a huge piece of that. I'd push hard to make sure that car gets inspected by someone YOUR side hires, not just whatever the police do with it.

    • 5
      curious-survivor766

      Appreciate the detailed write-up. Saving this for later.

  • 11
    clear-tern-229

    Whatever you do, stop talking to insurance adjusters without representation. Theirs OR yours. I know that sounds paranoid but adjusters are trained to get recorded statements early, before you've had time to think clearly, and those statements can come back to haunt you. You're grieving and scared right now — that's exactly when they make their move.

    • 10
      honest-wanderer454

      Wish I had seen this a month ago — would have saved me a lot of stress.

  • 15
    mellow-tern-508

    A few practical things worth knowing: (1) Minors can still be cited or charged in traffic matters, but courts often treat them differently. (2) Her injuries are generally not admissible as proof of fault by themselves — being hurt doesn't mean you caused the crash. (3) The hit-and-run element is important. If there's any dashcam footage, traffic cameras, or witnesses who saw the car that cut her off, that could change the entire narrative. Start asking around now about cameras in that area before footage gets overwritten.

  • 22
    brave-crane-385

    Concussions in teenagers can be sneaky — symptoms sometimes get worse in the second week rather than the first. Please make sure she's got a follow-up with a neurologist, not just the ER discharge papers. Fractured clavicle recovery varies a lot too depending on placement. Document every appointment, every symptom, every missed school day. That record matters medically AND if there's ever a claim.

    • 20
      quiet-sparrow-671

      I don't want to be harsh but I have some questions. When the steering felt off after the shop visit, why was the car still being driven daily for two weeks? Also — was there any dashcam in the car, or any witnesses to the other driver cutting her off? Because "another car cut me off" is going to be a hard thing to prove without corroboration, and that piece of the story matters a lot for how liability shakes out.

  • 5
    gentle-newt-461

    I just want to say I'm so sorry you're both going through this. She's 17 and she survived a rollover — that alone is terrifying. Please make sure you're taking care of yourself too while you fight for her. This community is rooting for you.

    • 1
      hopeful-neighbor116

      Seconding this. The same approach worked for me last year.

  • 12
    candid-stoat-413

    Three things: get a lawyer today, not next week. Get an independent mechanic to document the vehicle's condition the moment it's released. And get every scrap of paper from that shop — invoice, follow-up notes, anything — into a folder tonight. The window to protect yourself is short and you don't want to lose it while you're overwhelmed.

  • 16
    brave-newt-211

    I know it's hard to see right now, but the paper trail you have — the shop visit, the follow-up, the documented repair list — is actually more than a lot of families have in situations like this. That documentation exists. That's something real to build on. You're not starting from zero.