Self-Driving Car Accidents

Self-Driving Car Accidents

As New Yorkers, we pride ourselves on being at the cutting edge of new technologies. One technology that has become much more common in the last few years is self-driving cars. According to one study, 33 million self-driving cars, also called “autonomous vehicles,” are projected to be on the road by the year 2040. 

As the number of self-driving cars on the road increases, the number of accidents involving these cars will increase also. People around the country have already suffered injuries and deaths in self-driving car accidents.

Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. has spent 40 years helping injury victims recover compensation. Now, we are stepping up to protect those harmed in self-driving car accidents in New York City, NY. If you have been injured by an automated vehicle, contact our New York City car accident lawyers for your free consultation

How Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. Can Help After Self-Driving Car Accidents in New York City

Autonomous vehicles are a new and exciting technology. Unfortunately, new driving technology often comes with risks. If you were injured in a self-driving car accident, our New York City personal injury lawyers can help you recover compensation for your injuries.

Car manufacturers and insurers won’t hand you a check after your accident. They’re in business to make money; they lose money by paying injury claims. Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. will hold them accountable for all your damages. Still unsure? We have a 40-year history of satisfied clients, and we have recovered tens of millions of dollars. 

If you hire us to represent you in New York City, New York, our legal team will:

  • Provide award-winning legal support for your case
  • Investigate the cause of your accident and identify liable parties
  • Calculate the full extent of your damages
  • Bring in experts in medicine, product liability, and accident reconstruction, if necessary
  • Pressure the defendants to offer a fair settlement for your losses
  • Take the at-fault parties to court

Your well-being after an accident is important. You need highly qualified attorneys working in your best interest. Contact us today for a free consultation with a New York City product liability attorney.

How Common Are Self-Driving Car Accidents in New York?

Self-driving car accidents are on the rise nationwide. This trend is sure to affect New York City, which has unique traffic patterns due to its age and high population density. 

Cordell Schachter of the New York City Department of Transportation notes that self-driving cars still struggle with things a human being would readily adapt to. A sticker on a stop sign, for instance, or a cop directing traffic, can confuse a self-driving car and lead to catastrophe. A human driver would readily adapt to this nuance in road conditions. 

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has responded to the rise in reports of self-driving car accidents by implementing mandatory self-driving car crash reporting. 

Innocent New Yorkers should not be the crash-test dummies for large automobile technology companies. Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. will not sit idly by while developing technologies injure our neighbors. We are prepared to fight your case tooth and nail if technology malfunctions and injures you. 

What Kind of Compensation Can I Recover After a Self Driving Car Accident in NYC?

Car accident victims are entitled to damages from the parties who caused their accident. These damages usually take on two forms: economic damages and non-economic damages.

Economic damages compensate for your financial losses after an accident, including medical expenses and lost wages. Non-economic damages compensate for your personal, non-monetary losses, such as pain and suffering, emotional distress, and disfigurement.

Rare cases may be eligible for punitive damages, which punish a defendant for their conduct.

What if I’m Being Blamed for My Accident in New York City?

You can still recover damages even if you are partially at fault for your self-driving car accident. However, New York’s Comparative Fault rules reduce your damages to account for your percentage of the blame.

Insurers and big corporations manipulate this rule to limit their own liability. Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. will fight back against all allegations that you have any blame for an accident. 

How Can I Prove a Self-Driving Car Caused My Accident?

Self-driving car accident lawsuits can be pursued under a few different legal theories. The most common approach would be to pursue either negligence or a subset of negligence called product liability

At its core, negligence lawsuits assert that the defendant failed to act with reasonable care and injured someone else. The defendant could be the person riding in a self-driving car or the manufacturer of the vehicle. 

The four elements of a negligence lawsuit that must be proven at trial are:

  • Duty – The defendant owed you a duty of care
  • Breach – The defendant breached this duty
  • Causation – Their breach caused the accident
  • Damages – You suffered damages

Product liability lawsuits are closely related to negligence suits. However, you may not have to prove negligence to recover compensation for your injuries. In a product liability lawsuit, the manufacturer is held strictly liable for selling a defective product that creates an unreasonable injury risk.

Three types of defects can create an unreasonable risk of injury:

  • Design defect
  • Manufacturing defect
  • Failure to warn

The maker of a self-driving car may have failed to design a safe product. Alternatively, something may have gone wrong in the manufacturing process. Or, the car company may have failed to warn the purchaser of the limitations of the technology. 

Regardless of the type of defect, the car manufacturer should be held liable. Rosenbaum & Rosenbaum, P.C. can help you hold them liable.

How Long Do I Have to Sue After a Self-Driving Car Accident in New York City? 

Statutes of limitations ensure cases are brought to court before evidence disappears. For personal injury cases, you have three years to sue in New York. For wrongful death suits, you have two years. 

Contact our Car Accident Law Firm in New York

Don’t spend another day wondering what you should do about your injuries. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a self-driving car accident in New York City, you are not alone. 

Our New York City self-driving accident lawyers are waiting to have a free consultation with you. Contact us right away.

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