Liability For Louisiana Auto Accidents Involving Autonomous Vehicles
You have rights and can recover compensation if you have been injured in a Louisiana auto accident involving an autonomous vehicle. Some people think that because there is no "other" driver, there can be no liability; that is, there can be no ability to recover compensation for injuries and damage to property. That is false and inaccurate. Under Louisiana law, those injured in car accidents are entitled to seek recovery of damages against anyone who might be at fault. If you have been injured in a Caddo Parish, LA., car accident involving a driverless car, contact an experienced Shreveport auto accident attorney like ours at the Law Offices of Philip B. Adams.
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With regard to driverless vehicles, there are many possible persons or businesses that might be liable. Essentially, the automated vehicle is being driven by a computer with an artificial intelligence program that supposedly scans the road ahead to avoid collisions and other dangers on the road. As such, here is a non-exhaustive list of parties who might be responsible for injuries caused by a driverless vehicle:
The person in the vehicle who is monitoring -- some driverless cars are monitored by a human being during operation; that person might have been negligent.
The employer of any person monitoring the vehicle -- generally, employers are liable for negligence committed by their employees; here, the employee might be "in-vehicle" or be monitoring the vehicle "remotely."
Owner of the vehicle -- this is the party most likely to be held liable; a good analogy is that an owner of a dog that bites another is legally liable to compensate the injured victim
Software owner/developer/designer -- as noted, essentially, a computer is "driving" the vehicle; if the vehicle crashes, likely, there is/was some flaw in the software; thus, the software owner or developer or designer can be held liable
Manufacturer of the vehicle (or defective components) -- manufacturers of any type of vehicle can be held legally liable if the product is defective and causes injury
A repair shop that might have negligently made repairs to the vehicle
And others
No one should believe the "hype" that driverless cars do not have accidents. NPR reports a recent example where a pedestrian in San Francisco was struck by a driverless vehicle, leaving her critically injured. And truthfully, these vehicles and their software are not particularly impressive. Another NPR article describes how some driverless vehicles can be made immobile by placing an orange traffic cone on the hood of the car.
The lessons: don't believe the "hype," driverless vehicles are not infallible, and if the accident was the result of some negligence or defect in the driverless automobile, Louisiana law provides a remedy.
Contact A Louisiana Personal Injury Attorney Today
For more information, contact the Law Offices of Philip B. Adams, If you have been injured in a Louisiana accident, our Louisiana personal injury lawyers can help you recover the full compensation you are entitled to according to Louisiana law. To contact us, complete our "Contact Us" page here. You may significantly benefit by having an attorney with legal competence and experience assist you with your Louisiana personal injury case. We have offices in Shreveport and handle personal injury cases throughout all of Louisiana. Thank you for reading and visiting our website.