A homeowner hired a computer repair technician to fix his computer. The technician discovered that she needed a different type of memory card than she had, so she drove to the local electronics store to get what she needed. On the way back, she stopped at a liquor store to get a bottle of wine for a dinner party she was attending that night. When she was backing out of the parking lot, she negligently knocked over a pedestrian who was walking on the sidewalk adjacent to the parking lot.
In a negligence action by the pedestrian against the homeowner, is the pedestrian likely to prevail?
a. Yes, because a principal is vicariously liable for the negligence of his agent.
b. Yes, because the technician was on a detour and not a frolic.
c. No, because the technician was on a frolic and not a detour.
d. No, because the technician is an independent contractor.