Liability for Camp Bus and Deductible

Question

Hi, I’m the head counselor at a camp in the U.S. At the end of the first month of camp, a group of campers was heading home, and the camp director asked me if I could drive them back to Brooklyn on the camp bus. We’re located in Connecticut. I’m not officially responsible for driving the bus, and I really wanted to say no—but in the end, I wanted to help, so I said yes.The trip was very difficult—five hours stuck in heavy New York traffic. Finally, on the way back, I stopped at a kosher restaurant to get something to eat—I hadn’t eaten all day. In the parking lot, I accidentally scratched a parked car, causing damage to it, and the camp bus was also damaged.Regarding the other car, the camp has insurance, but there’s a significant deductible that needs to be paid—about $1,000.My question is: am I responsible to pay for the damage to the camp bus, as well as for the deductible and any other potential losses the camp may incur? Or is there an argument to say that since I was doing this as part of my job for the camp, I’m not (fully) liable?Thank you very much.

Answer

Shalom UvRacha,,

Despite the understandable difficulty, you are legally obligated to pay.

I hope that after you approach those in charge and explain to them the situation as you described it here, they will take your circumstances into consideration regarding the payment.

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