Autonomous Car Crashes and Related Liability Issues

Self-driving cars may be considered the future of technology in the automotive industry, but are they actually making our roads more dangerous?

Companies such as Uber, Tesla and now Google have each developed autonomous vehicles, a technological advancement that is supposed to making driving safer. However, in the wake of high-profile accidents involving self-driving cars, new questions are being asked about their safety and who is liable when such incidents happen.

In a recent article on autonomous cars, there are several things automakers and suppliers will need to consider moving forward when it comes to product liability.

The transition to have fully autonomous vehicles on the road will take time and so will the issue of removing human error altogether. Over 90 percent of car accidents are currently related to human error. However, self-driving cars still need drivers. Motor vehicles with autonomous technology do help prevent drivers from speeding or texting, being distracted, driving aggressively or under the influence.

Regardless of improved vehicle safety, accidents continue to happen nationwide. This means that determining liability for an accident will not shift until more autonomous cars hit the road.

State and federal laws concerning autonomous cars are also evolving. Once manufacturers are issued a set of restrictions to meet, the more common it will be to continue blaming an accident on a distracted driver verses a faulty car part.

If all car accidents in the future are related to defects in programming, then software developers may also be held liable. Until there are fully autonomous vehicles on the road, the more concerns will be raised regarding safety and product liability.

Contact an Experienced Car Accident Attorney

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact an experienced Harrisburg car accident attorney at Schmidt Kramer right away. We have helped victims of many types of car accidents recover maximum compensation for medical expenses, loss of income, pain and suffering, and other damages.

Contact us to schedule a free, no obligation consultation to learn more about your legal options. We take all cases on a contingency fee basis, so there are no upfront costs unless you recover compensation for your claim.

Call (717) 888-8888 or fill out our Free Case Review form today.

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Schmidt Kramer, P.C.partner Gerard C. Kramer won a personal injury action for $10,043,952.13 in Northumberland County on behalf of a volunteer firefighter who was the victim of Intentional Tort. The 50-year-old volunteer firefighter was seriously injured when a barn collapsed, causing a spinal injury which left him a paraplegic. The claim was brought against the arsonist who intentionally started the fire. It is believed that the verdict is the highest ever in Northumberland County.
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$4,034,000.00 Personal Injury
Yesterday a Judge in Union County (Lewisburg, PA) awarded a couple from New Berlin, Pennsylvania, over $4,000,000 because the husband was shot while turkey hunting.You might ask yourself, how does a turkey hunting accident end up with that type of verdict? In order to understand the verdict you would have to know our clients. They are good people who had their life wrecked. Plus, you would have to know the defendant, who should not have been hunting with a gun because he was prohibited after a previous criminal conviction.It is a good verdict, because the Judge was able to do two things with his decision. First, he communicated to two very good people that their losses were something that those of us on the outside could appreciate and value. Mike Hobbins (our client) is a 51 year old guy who lost his sight because a convicted felon --who should not have even possessed a gun-- went hunting illegally, and broke with impunity the most fundamental rule in hunting: identify your target before you pull the trigger. The Judge accepted the financial loss Mr. Hobbins' suffered, but listened closely to the evidence of less tangible losses. When Mike broke down on the stand, because his daughter would end up walking him down the aisle at her wedding, as opposed to how it was supposed to go, the Judge was listening. When Mike could not keep it together, because of how emasculating it was for him not to be able to provide financially for his family, the Judge was listening. It was facts like these that the Judge cited to support the $2,000,000 award for non-economic damages. Second, the Judge wanted to send a message. Union County is a hunting county. Many of the residents hunt there, and people from outside the area come to Union County to hunt. It was my impression, from the Judge's statements as he rendered his decision, that he wanted to send a message to the people in Union County to protect them in their sport. The rules in place to restrict people convicted of crimes not to have a gun are not to be broken. Hunting is serious and you have to identify your target before you shoot. When you turn your back on the rules that are set to provide safety in a sport, you risk being an example. Here, the $1,000,000 punitive damage award sends that message loud and clear.When it really comes down to brass tacks, the right action was taken against a Defendant who may never truly appreciate what kind of impact his reckless choices caused.At Schmidt Kramer, we are injury lawyers. That means we work with people who were hurt in car accidents, who were hurt by the neglect of nursing homes, or those that were seriously injured because of the reckless, thoughtless acts of others. If you or a loved one have been injured in Pennsylvania, we may be able to help. While the verdict yesterday is not one that is representative of every case we do, it does show that serious and dedicated representation can bring good results.Joe ChapmanJanuary 18, 2013
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$1,200,000.00 Personal Injury
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Self-Driving Car Crashes Raising Safety and Liability Concerns

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