Dealership Employee Crashes Customer’s Car During Test Drive—Now What?

Aurora Woman’s Ford Bronco Crashed by Dealership Employee During Test Drive

An Aurora woman, Janay Henderson, was left stunned after discovering that her customized 2022 Ford Bronco had been severely damaged when a dealership employee crashed it during a test drive for a routine repair. Henderson had brought her vehicle to Schomp Ford in Aurora for a thermostat issue but was alerted to the accident via a collision notification from her Ford app while at work.

According to a 30-page police report, surveillance footage showed the dealership employee ran a red light at Colfax Avenue and Moline Street, colliding with another vehicle. Henderson, who had purchased the Bronco as a personal reward after her military deployment, arrived at the dealership only to find her vehicle smashed in the service bay.

Schomp Ford later explained that the delay in notifying Henderson was due to the dealership gathering details before reaching out. The dealership has since provided her with a brand-new Ford loaner vehicle and assured that she will have no financial responsibility for the accident. However, consumer attorney Raina Bayas pointed out that Henderson may be entitled to diminution in value compensation due to the crash now being recorded on the vehicle’s history, potentially reducing its resale value.

Henderson, who has never been in an accident before, remains frustrated by the ordeal. “For you to get into an accident when I’m thinking it’s sitting at the lot for a thermostat issue just blows my mind,” she said. She is now working with the dealership’s insurance company to finalize the terms of her vehicle’s repairs.