Minnesota Court of Appeals rules Siebergs not immune
Background: Minnesota Court of Appeals (Google Maps). Inset: Jason Melvin Niebuhr (Legacy Remembers).

Background: Minnesota Court of Appeals (Google Maps). Inset: Jason Melvin Niebuhr (Legacy Remembers).

The Minnesota Court of Appeals decided that the parents of a 17-year-old driver can be deemed responsible in a wrongful-death lawsuit regarding a fatal accident involving the boy’s boss, a blind man who was a passenger in the vehicle. The case presented a complex procedural query concerning whether immunity provided by workers’ compensation law would cover someone potentially vicariously accountable for an employee’s carelessness.

At the age of 39, Jason Niebuhr tragically passed away. He was the creator and sole proprietor of Wells Computer and Electronics, Inc., a business handling the repair, sale, and installation of a variety of electronic devices. Despite being blind, Niebuhr specialized in electronic repairs and installations, serving numerous clients through his company.

Wells Computer and Electronics had a small team of employees, with Jacob Sieberg being one of them. The employees mainly supported Niebuhr in his duties. While Wells held workers’ compensation insurance for its staff members, Niebuhr himself, as the owner, was not covered by this insurance.

Sieberg worked at Wells during his junior year of high school, and his duties included helping install and repair equipment and driving Jason to and from customers’ homes — usually using the company vehicle. According to the court record, Sieberg occasionally used a personal truck owned by his parents for work purposes. Sieberg’s parents purchased the truck for their son’s use, and Sieberg used it to travel to and from school and work.

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