You are way off base. The imcompetent employee is getting off Scott free... as is the dealership at this time. The family pursuing a lawsuit is trying to get compensated for the loss of the bread winner, who was killed because the dealership-aka, his employer- hired somebody who wasn’t qualified to do his job. State law prevents suing the dealership, even though they are ultimately at fault. So the plaintiff’s only recourse is to go after the car owner, who will then collect from the dealership’s insurance to cover the settlement.
All that the deceased was trying to do was make a living. He wasn’t at fault, he wasn’t incompetent. He just happened to be on the wrong place at the wrong time.
How would you feel if your wife was killed because somebody from that dealership took a car for a ride around the block even though he didn’t have a license; then you found out that the dealership was protected by law? It’s the exact same thing.