Legal Principles:
I. Employers/principals are vicariously liable, under the respondeatsuperior doctrine, for negligent acts or omissions by their employees /agents in the course of employment/agency.
II. A servant/agent may be defined as any person employed by another to do work for him on the terms that he, the servant/agent, is to be subject to the control and directions of his employer/principal in respect of the manner in which his work is to be done.
Factual Situation: X is Y’s secretary, and Z is Y’s driver. Y makes a Comprehensive list of office supplies needed for that month, and hands it over to X. He directs X to visit suppliers and procure the requisite items, and directs Z to drive X to the various required locations. X and Z are given a day to complete the job and leave the office. On the way, X convinces Z to take a break, and both of them take a detour to a nearby pub. The two.spend almost an hour, enjoying themselves with drinks, dance and music. After consuming a sizeable amount of. alcohol, they realise that they are running late and rush to complete the purchases. However, Z is quite inebriated and in an attempt to hasten the journey, he crashes his car into a hapless pedestrian B, severely injuring him.
Who is the person liable in the given situation?
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