A Troy teenager and his family are pursuing a lawsuit against General Motors and the driver of a GM-owned pickup truck that struck the boy last summer, with the case centering on a Michigan statute that can hold a vehicle's owner responsible for injuries even when someone else is behind the wheel. The family is represented by Kajy Law Firm, a Southfield-based personal injury practice that handles motor vehicle accident cases exclusively.
The teen was 14 when a white GMC Canyon hit him as he crossed Square Lake Road at John R Road, according to WXYZ-TV Detroit. He was pinned beneath the truck. An off-duty Troy firefighter captured the crash on a dash camera, and police cited the driver for careless driving. The family sued the driver and GM earlier this year. In October, GM filed a countersuit against the teen's parents, which the automaker withdrew on Oct. 20.
According to attorney Lawrence Kajy, GM owned the truck and had provided it to an employee as a job perk. That ownership forms the basis of the family's claims against the company. "GM owned that truck and decided who would drive it," said Kajy, founder of the firm. "Michigan law doesn't let an owner step back and say somebody else was behind the wheel. If you hand over the keys, you share the responsibility."
Section 257.401 of the Michigan Vehicle Code makes the owner of a motor vehicle liable for injuries caused by its negligent operation when it is driven with the owner's express or implied consent or knowledge. The law presumes consent when the driver is the owner's spouse, parent, sibling, child or another immediate family member. The family is also bringing a negligent entrustment claim against GM, a legal theory under which an owner can be held responsible for giving a vehicle to someone it knew, or should have known, was likely to drive unsafely.
Kajy said owner's liability claims arise more often than most drivers expect. A company car, a vehicle borrowed from a friend and a family car driven by a relative can all bring the owner into a case. In Metro Detroit, where automakers and other employers put company vehicles on the road, that question can decide who pays when someone gets hurt. "People hear 'car accident lawsuit' and assume it's only about the driver," Kajy said. "A lot of the time, the owner is the one with the insurance and the resources to cover what an injured person is facing. Knowing that can change the outcome for a family."
On the withdrawn countersuit, Kajy said: "We're glad GM dropped the case against his parents. Now this can stay focused on what happened at that intersection and who is responsible for it." The case remains pending.
The dispute highlights a liability exposure that extends beyond the driver's seat. For employers that issue company vehicles as perks or assign them to employees, the Michigan owner-liability statute and negligent entrustment doctrine can place the company directly in a lawsuit, making vehicle assignment and driver screening decisions legally significant. For injured pedestrians and their families, the ownership question can determine whether a defendant with adequate insurance and resources is part of the case at all. The outcome in this pending matter could reinforce how courts apply those responsibilities to corporate fleet owners across the region.
