If while driving a friends car I swiped a parking garage wall, what am I legally responsible for paying?

Thank you for submitting your question related to damages to your friend’s vehicle cause while you were operating the vehicle.  In a simple answer, you would be responsible for any and all damage caused by your accident, otherwise known as when you swiped your friend’s vehicle into a parking garage wall.  Usually when someone gives permission to drive their car, the insured’s driver has insurance that will pay for the damage to the vehicle.  However, the insured has the right to not want a claim called into their insurance company, especially since this would be an at-fault accident, which would more than likely cause a raise in your friend’s insurance premiums.  If your friend does not want to place the claim for this accident through their own insurance, then you should be able to put the claim through your insurance carrier.

Additionally, if there is any damage to the parking garage wall, you would also be responsible for repairs to the wall.  This is similar to when a driver hits a telephone pole and knocks the telephone pole over.  Not only is the driver required to pay for the damage to the vehicle, but also needs to pay for the new telephone pole.  Basically, when you are at-fault for an accident, you will be held financially responsible for any and all damage resulting from your negligence.  There are circumstances where the parking garage company might not get involved in repayment for the damage to the wall.  If the repairs to the wall would take up time so that there would be an inconvenience to people who park in the garage, then the parking garage owner may opt out of participating in the action.