When you leave your car with a mechanic, in a parking garage, or anywhere else for someone to watch over, how sure are you it'll be there when you want it again?

One Utah man had a bizarre experience after leaving his car for repairs over a weekend. And his case has a lesson for all of us when it comes to where we leave our vehicles. News Specialist Jed Boal has an in-depth report.

When you take your car into an automotive technician, you hope to have the problem repaired, at a price that isn't too painful. But, imagine you drop your car off at the shop, and you never see it again. What do you do if you don't know who's driving your car?

"This is one of those stories that when I tell people, they look at me and say, 'Yeah, right Joe..'"

Joe Henderson has a strange tale of car trouble. The transmission on his 1992 Ford Explorer was shot, so he took it to an Aamco transmission shop in South Salt Lake to replace it. A few days later he was at home, when a sheriff's deputy knocked on his door, and asked if someone had borrowed his car.

Joe Henderson: "Told me that my truck was in an accident. And I said, 'How? My truck's transmission is out. It's getting fixed at Aamco.'"

That's when Henderson found out a technician had taken his truck on a long distance joy ride. The driver was headed for Colorado and rolled the truck in Price Canyon. Witnesses told police the Explorer was speeding when it lost control, crossed the center line, hit two pick-ups, careened off the road and caught fire.

Henderson couldn't believe it was his car. And the news got worse.

Joe Henderson: "He was killed and my truck was totalled."

Eight people were injured. Henderson says he was saddened that a man died. But, he was left with plenty of questions, such as who would replace his truck? Who's insurance covers it? Was he liable?

And, the case raises questions for all of us who trust our cars to someone else. How often is that trust abused? Police agencies we talked to say it happens regularly enough for officers to pay attention. Detective Dave Browning remembers pulling over a group of guys having a good time in someone else's car.

Det. Dave Browning/South Salt Lake Police Dept.: "He had a car from a dealership, with all his buddies in the car drinking. I had to call the owner of the car from Ogden to come down and pick up his car."

It's the kind of crime no one keeps statistics on. Tim Stapleton is the president of the Professional Automotive Alliance of Utah. He says there's dishonesty in the business, as with any business, but it's not the biggest problem.

Tim Stapleton: "There's more incompetency than dishonesty. I think sometimes people try to do the right thing, but they don't know and they make mistakes."

So, what can you do if someone makes a "mistake" with your car? The State Division of Consumer Protection says it's never heard of a case like this one. There's no specific law that protects you if a mechanic crashes your car. Joe Henderson has to hash it out with Aamco. If the driver had survived the crash, he would have faced a charge of auto theft.

A co-owner of the Aamco shop told Eyewitness News that the employee stole the car, and the company has strong rules against employees taking customer's cars. He says Aamco's insurance company will settle with Henderson. Henderson knows it could have been worse.

"I'm thankful that it wasn't me or my family involved. It's sad, but there are things to be thankful for, too."

The Automotive Alliance has tips to help you find a technician you can trust.

• Look for a certified shop that guarantees its work.
• Get to know the technician
• Ask the right questions.