It's an extremely difficult situation to face a lawsuit from a passenger who was injured in your car during an accident. This is especially true if you were friends with the passenger, and you're now pitted against one another in legal matters. It's not uncommon for an injured passenger to take legal action against the driver, holding him or her accountable for the injuries and the cost of their care, as well as emotional suffering. Even though you were the driver, it's not 100 percent certain that your negligence caused the accident and thus the injury. Here are some circumstances that could suggest your passenger's negligence played a role.

The Passenger Was Distracting You

While it's true that you're responsible for the control of your vehicle, there may be situations in which your passenger was distracting you immediately before the accident. For example, if the passenger was intoxicated or otherwise acting silly, he or she may have been climbing around and perhaps trying to tickle you or even covering your eyes as a joke. A good car accident attorney shouldn't have any trouble providing that these actions directly led to the accident, which can get any lawsuit against you thrown out.

You Were Driving The Passenger's Faulty Car

Every vehicle owner has the responsibility of keeping his or her vehicle in safe running order. If you're in an accident because of issues related to the vehicle, such as brakes that are worn out, you can commonly be held liable. There may be a situation in which you were driving the passenger's vehicle — perhaps because he or she was drunk or his or her license was suspended. If you got into an accident because of the car being faulty in some manner, the passenger may be responsible instead of you.

The Passenger Gave You Bad Directions

In some accidents, the road on which you were driving can play a role. This is especially the case if you were to mistakenly turn down a one-way street and travel in the wrong direction. If you don't know a particular area, it's possible that the passenger could be helping you out. In some scenarios, he or she may have told you to turn down a one-way street without your knowledge, leading to a collision. If any of these scenarios led to your collision, make sure that you share these details with your car accident attorney. They may be the difference in you not being held liable.