Can You Sue The Owner Of A Driverless Car For An Accident?
Driverless cars are no longer a fantasy from the future. Some technology giants have experimented with driverless cars. Unfortunately, there have been some crashes along the way. If you are injured in an accident with one of the cars, you could possibly hold more than the owner of the car responsible for the damages.
Who Can You Sue?
The owner of the car is the logical choice for the responsible party after an accident with a driverless car. As the owner of the car, he or she has the responsibility to ensure the vehicle is properly maintained and operated. However, this does not always happen. You can turn the negligence of the owner into a settlement award for the accident.
Another possible liable party is the manufacturer of the car. The car is driven by a computer and since the computer cannot be held responsible for its own actions, you can turn to the manufacturer. The fact that the car is operated by a computer also leaves the door open to sue other parties, such as the retailer and software designer. You could even sue the designer of one component of the computer if the part was at fault for the accident.
What Should You Do?
As the injured party who was not at-fault, you have the right to pursue legal action against any party that could be held liable for the accident. For instance, you could choose to solely sue the retailer if you believe the driverless car was sold with a known defect. However, you could be missing out on a chance to guarantee that your damages will be fully compensated.
You can choose to sue more than one party and up the chances that your damages are covered. Instead of just suing the retailer for selling a defective car, you could sue the manufacturer for the defect and the owner of the car for failing to have the car inspected so that the defect could be discovered.
Due to the fact that driverless cars are fairly new, you need to work with an experienced auto accident attorney like https://grdlaw.com/ who can help you determine who is liable for your injuries. He or she can review the details of the driverless accident and determine the best way to recover the damages. Your attorney might recommend suing one or more party. He or she could even advise that you sue every possible party involved.