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Car backed out of driveway and ran over my lawn trimmer – is car driver obligated to pay?

Question:

My son (age 13) has been doing lawn work for some of our neighbors for pay. He had put his trimmer at the end of a neighbor’s driveway while he was mowing. The neighbor came out of their house, got straight into their car and backed up over the trimmer. Trimmer is now broken and my son needs a new one. The neighbor felt bad and offered to pay to replace, but we weren’t sure if they were obligated to pay. If they’re not obligated to pay, then we wouldn’t want them to pay. Do they have a chiyuv?

Answer:

Answer by Horav Y. Fleishman shlit”a

If it was in a place where one who backs up should see then the neighbor is chayav-because one can’t say אין דרכן של בני אדם להתבונן בדרכים  bec you have to look

However he only has to pay for how much a used one is worth.

 

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