It is easy to bring a lawsuit for human-induced accidents; however, when such accidents result from a crash with automatic cars, it can be daunting to determine who will be responsible for the crash and who will pay. Automation technology is evolving each da, yet there is still a lot of room for improvement. Despite the evolution of automatic car technology, almost all of the automatic car manufacturers recommend human intervention in driving, from time to time, to avoid accidents. If you drive an automatic car, you should be aware of the regulations in place about such cars so that you are educated about who is responsible if a self driving car crashes. Curious about self driving car crashes and liability? Book a free consultation with our expert lawyers at Royce Injury today!
Your Guide to Kansas City’s Self-Driving Vehicle Regulations
Missouri is one of the six states in the US that are without an automatic car regulation framework. A Senate bill has been furthered to ask for the development of legislation that can regulate auto-pilot cars and businesses manufacturing such cars. In the absence of a robust regulatory framework, who is responsible for self driving car accidents can create a potential legal challenge for injury courts to determine the liability.
Since Kansas City has no concrete regulatory law for automatic cars, in the event of an accident, we have to look at the various factors to determine who will pay the compensation.
- Person in the driving seat: The personal circumstances of the driver are to be considered first. If the person driving an automatic car has failed to employ necessary precautions while being on auto-pilot, they can be sued for wilful negligence.
- Self-driving car manufacturers: As discussed earlier, the auto-pilot technology is still evolving and if the manufacturer has failed to disclose any potential malefactions, especially regarding automatic brake systems and alike, they can also be held liable for accidents.
- Employee of the car company: In the absence of a proper law that mandates a mandatory training course before taking an automatic car on the road, any accident resulting from a driver employed by a self-driving car company who is driving you to a destination can be sued by their company for damages if an accident happens due to their inexperience or neglect.
Who is at Fault for a Self-Driving Car Accident
To determine who is responsible for an automatic car accident, we have to look at the circumstances and factors of the accident. As discussed earlier, the technology used in self-driving cars is still evolving, and the drivers must remain abreast of all necessary precautions before they drive such cars. In a self-driving car accident, the driver, car manufacturer, or employee of a car company (for example, uber driver) can be potentially at fault. These parties can be individually or separately sued for damages, depending on the circumstances of the crash and their degree of contribution to the accident. Additional circumstances, such as road maintenance and weather conditions, can also be considered when determining the liability.
Recoverable Losses in Self-Driving Car Accidents
Like other injury lawsuits, the degree of your own fault is also analyzed by the court when determining the compensation you are entitled to. You can book a consultation with an injury attorney to calculate how much compensation and damages you should be claiming in your suit. You can claim:
- Economic Damages: Medical bills, treatment expenses, hospital receipts, property damage (i.e, car, laptop, mobile phone, watch, accessories, etc), wage loss, economic implications for earning capacity, potential expenses for recurring medical complications, psychological treatment, mental torture, and agony, etc.
- Non-economic Damages: Punitive damages as fines can also be claimed, depending on the severity of negligence of the parties to the accident. The purpose of such damages is to deter such behavior in the future.
Therefore, you can claim both economic and non-economic damages for an accident self-driving car meets.
Our Lawyers’ Role After Self-Driving Car Collisions
Our self-driving car accident lawyers are one of the leading attorneys in this field. As a new area of law that is still in development, very few attorneys in Kansas City possess the expertise to deal with accident claims that involve automatic cars. The reason for this is obvious — Missouri is yet to develop its self-driving cars legislation and the issue of liability is complex. Despite these challenges, our expert lawyers are experienced in handling such cases with agility. We offer a free consultation to help you determine which course of action would be suitable for you. Our lawyers will advise you whether it is beneficial to take the route of an insurance claim or whether you have better chances of winning worthwhile compensation if you pursue your case in the injury court. You will also be advised on how much compensation you should be claiming and what kinds of damages should be added to the claim. Additionally, you will also get legal representation on whichever forum you choose as suitable to the circumstances of your case. It is good to prepare a list of questions you can ask our attorneys during the consultation meeting to make the most of the free session.
Conclusion
If you have met a self driving car collision and it was not your fault, book a free consultation with our expert car accident lawyers at Royce Injury to map out the way forward and win the compensation you deserve!
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