Uber Self-Driving Car Causes Pedestrian Death

            According to an article by The Press-Enterprise an Uber self-driving car killed a pedestrian in a Phoenix suburb. Police of the city of Tempe reported that on Monday the Uber vehicle was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel when a pedestrian was crossing the street and the car struck her at the crosswalk. The time of day that the accident occurred was not announced to the public. The victim of the incident suffered severe injuries in which she was rushed to the hospital and later died at. The testing of the Uber vehicles has been in launch for a period of time in Phoenix. Uber has made a claim saying it is handling the investigation.

            Though this accident took place in Phoenix, we have seen self-driving cars being tested in areas and streets around California as well. Although these cars are still in their testing stages it is not un-common to see these on public streets as these companies work out the kinks within their systems and work towards consumer early adoption. In the near future, as the software is more advanced and perfected it will become more common it will be harder for drivers to tell which cars are self-driving and which contain actual drivers. Many residents are against these cars as they feel we should not leave machines to make the decisions as they cannot see, think or react the same was a human can. While this accident resulted in death, there have been other incidents where accidents have occurred due to self-driving cars. It has also been reported that these accidents will inevitably continue to happen. They can be dangerous as we see in this case of the pedestrian who was not detected by Uber’s self-driving car software.

            When accidents happen in California, victims have rights and a personal injury attorney can protect those rights. Though the pedestrian’s life was ended because of this self-driving vehicle, the family can still file wrongful death claims and go after the compensation they deserve to cover the funeral costs and any other damages available under California law. An attorney who is experienced in these types of injury or wrongful death cases will be able to help protect the rights of the victims as well as fight to recover the appropriate compensation.

If you or anyone you may know has been caught in an accident due to a self-driving car know that you have rights. Justin H. King is an experienced personal injury attorney that represents victims in the Inland Empire who were injured due to another’s negligence.

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