Woman dies in collision with self-driven vehicle

A 49-year-old woman recently lost her life in a pedestrian accident that has made national news. Though pedestrian accidents happen every day throughout the country and even here in Kentucky, this incident is note-worthy for one unique reason: the vehicle that struck the woman was self-driven.

The car involved in the accident was one of Uber’s under testing self-driven vehicles. At the time of the accident, the car had a human driver in it, though the human driver was not in control of the vehicle. Rather, the car was on self-drive mode and under its own operation.

The victim in the incident was crossing the street in the evening with her bicycle when the collision happened. The speed limit in the area was 35 miles per hour, and reports suggest that the self-driven vehicle was moving at approximately 40 miles per hour at the time of the crash. The vehicle does not appear to have slowed down when it approached the victim.

Both state and federal investigators are looking into the cause of the crash and once more information is gathered it may be possible to assign liability to a party or parties in this case. This tragic wrongful death incident is important to reflect on as it introduces a new way that technology and everyday life may interact in a way that will push current personal injury laws and victims’ rights to recovery.

Victims of car accidents and those who have lost loved ones in vehicle collisions often have rights to seek compensation for their losses. They can seek assistance with their legal questions and inquiries from legal professionals who offer services in the personal injury field within the victims’ jurisdictions.

Source: CNN, “Uber’s self-driving car death: What you need to know,” Nathaniel Meyersohn & Matt McFarland, March 20, 2018