Although we’re still years away from a potential mass adoption, it’s beginning to become more common to see driverless cars on the road. As you can imagine, driverless cars and the software that supports them needs to pass rigorous safety standards, but they will never completely eliminate the potential for an automobile accident. If you are injured while riding in a driverless vehicle or by a driverless vehicle, how will you move forward with an injury claim? In today’s blog, we explore how driverless vehicle injury claims are currently handled in Minnesota.
Driverless Vehicle Injury Claim
In a normal car accident, you’d simply exchange insurance information with the other driver involved in the accident and work to sort the situation out later. But what happens when there is no driver in the other vehicle because you were injured by a driverless vehicle? Despite the absence of a physical driver, the injury claims process will likely play out pretty similar to a standard car accident case.
Although there won’t be a driver behind the wheel, it’s likely that the passenger in the vehicle is the owner of the vehicle. If this is the case, you can exchange information with them. That said, Minnesota is a No Fault state when it comes to car accident coverage, meaning you’ll first file a claim with your own insurance company. If your damages exceed $40,000 ($20,000 for medical bills and $20,000 for non-medical expenses), then you may be able to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
If the passenger in the vehicle is not the owner, you may have to take an extra step to locate who pays for automobile coverage for the vehicle. For example, perhaps it is a rental car company or similar business that shuttles passengers using driverless vehicles. In those instances, you’ll connect with the business, inform them of the accident and request their automobile insurance information, although you’ll still file with your automobile insurance provider first. In all of these driverless vehicle instances, somebody is insuring the vehicle, and they will be the one you’ll need to connect with if you are seeking damages from another party in regards to your accident.
As you can imagine, the laws and regulations around driverless cars are constantly changing and being updated to ensure that driverless technology is safe for passengers and pedestrians alike. Because of this, it’s possible that you may have an additional lawsuit on your hands if you can show that a product defect contributed to your accident. For example, if the vehicle wasn’t serviced properly, had faulty brakes or the driverless technology system was flawed, and these issues contributed to your accident, you may have grounds for a product liability lawsuit. Automobile manufacturers and software developers are held to strict liability laws, and if their products cause harm to their users, they may be held liable.
If you are involved in an automobile accident with a driverless vehicle, it’s in your best interests to connect with a car accident injury firm to ensure you are fairly compensated for your injuries. These cases will be a little more complex than a standard claim, and they can become even more nuanced if it turns out that you may have a viable strict liability claim on your hands. Let us help sort it all out and get you the compensation you deserve. For more information, or for help with your personal injury or workers’ compensation claim, reach out to the team at Hey Workers today at (844) 439-9675.
