Nadrich Accident Injury Lawyers represents those injured in accidents involving Waymo self-driving taxis. Call us today for a free consultation if you or a loved one:
- Was injured in an accident as a Waymo passenger
- Was injured after being struck by a Waymo vehicle as a driver, passenger, pedestrian or cyclist, or,
- Had a loved one killed in an accident involving a Waymo vehicle
If you have been injured in an accident involving a Waymo vehicle, including in an accident involving multiple vehicles, the Waymo self-driving taxi accident lawyers at our firm can help you recover financial compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, wrongful death and more.
We have been helping those injured in accidents since 1990, having recovered over $750,000,000 for our clients. Our vast experience in helping those injured in accidents will let us recover the most compensation possible for you.
Should you not be able to afford treatment for the injuries you sustained in a Waymo accident, we can get you to the best doctors in California who will treat your injuries on a lien. This means you will not be charged any money for your treatment until your case is over. Our long-established reputation for success in helping accident victims is the reason doctors give our clients this deal.
We will not charge any fee to handle your Waymo claim until and unless we recover money for you. Our only fee to handle your Waymo claim will be a percentage of whatever we recover for you, so you won’t owe us a single penny out of your own pocket or any upfront fee.
Call us today for a free consultation, text us from this page or fill out this page’s free case evaluation form if you or a loved one was injured or killed in an accident involving a Waymo vehicle.
What Are Waymo Self-Driving Taxis?
Waymo is one of Alphabet Inc.’s (Google) subsidiaries. It is a company involved in autonomous vehicle development. It has been testing self-driving vehicles on public roadways since 2009. Recently, the company has been expanding operations to include taxis that are self-driving. 2020 saw the company launching a fleet of ridesharing vehicles. The company has recently moved into Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Waymo’s taxis are completely autonomous vehicles. They operate without human drivers. The vehicles are controlled by advanced software which utilizes numerous cameras and sensors to avoid obstacles, navigate roads and transport passengers safely.
The vehicles are equipped with numerous safety features, including:
- High-resolution mapping: They utilize detailed road maps, helping vehicles navigate safely and accurately.
- Advanced sensors: They use numerous sensors, including cameras, radar and lidar, to detect objects and perceive environments. This lets vehicles detect pedestrians and obstacles and make decisions regarding how to navigate safely through traffic.
- Emergency stop button: Passengers can use an emergency stop button to stop the vehicle if an emergency should occur.
- Redundant systems: The vehicles have redundant systems like multiple steering systems, brakes and power sources, ensuring vehicles can continue operating safely when failures occur.
- Machine learning algorithms: The vehicles use machine learning algorithms in order to analyze sensor data and make decisions regarding how to safely navigate.
- 360-degree awareness: The vehicles have 360 degree views of their surroundings. This lets them detect possible hazards from every angle and quickly respond to situations which are unexpected.
- Highly-trained drivers: The company employs trained drivers who are able to take control of vehicles when necessary, making sure vehicles are operated safely at all times.
As an industry leader, Waymo makes sure their vehicles always prioritize safety. The company takes steps to make sure its vehicles operate reliably and safely on public roadways.
However, the possibility always exists that Waymo’s technology won’t reliably work in every situation, and accidents can always occur. In crowded areas such as Los Angeles or San Francisco, this can be quite likely.
The Issue With Self-Driving Vehicles
Potential issues with self-driving vehicles include:
- Sensor limitations/malfunctions: Accidents may be caused when sensors malfunction, or when hazards are not identified due to the limitations of sensors.
- Hacking concerns: Accidents may be caused when a lack of cybersecurity leads to self-driving vehicles being hacked.
- AI limitations: Artificial intelligence cannot necessarily predict and prevent human behavior when others aren’t following traffic rules.
- Too much autonomy: Not having backup human drivers poses a major risk should something go awry with programming.
- Liability issues: Self-driving car accidents continue to be murky when it comes to determining liability.
Who Is Liable in a Waymo Self-Driving Taxi Accident?
California allows victims in driverless car accidents to file personal injury lawsuits against liable parties include car manufacturers, vehicle owners, or software developers.
Parties who may be held liable include:
- Vehicle owners: Vehicle owners are responsible for maintaining vehicles and utilizing self-driving features in a proper manner. In this case, the owner would be Waymo. Waymo can be held liable when crashes are caused by defects in the manufacturing, software or design of their vehicles. The cost of damages may be covered by the commercial liability insurance that Waymo carries.
- Drivers: If a Waymo vehicle has a human driver, the human driver may be held liable should they cause an accident, such as by failing to take control of the steering wheel, accelerator and brake when they’re supposed to, not being attentive enough to avoid collisions, or intentionally taking cars off self-driving mode. When Waymo vehicles are level 1 vehicles, drivers need to supervise their systems as well as perform certain driving tasks. Other drivers can also be held liable when their actions cause crashes, like not observing traffic signals or driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
- Manufacturers: Manufacturers can be held liable under product liability laws when accidents are caused by software bugs, hardware malfunctions or flaws with vehicles’ hardware, software or design. Manufacturers can also be held liable if they fail to properly test their vehicles or provide updates. Manufacturers are responsible for the autonomous systems in vehicles, including how they respond to road conditions and detect obstacles.
- Software developers: Software developers can be held liable when accidents are caused by cybersecurity breaches, software glitches, faulty driver assistance software or outdated mapping data.
- Third parties: Road construction crews, repair shops, maintenance providers and service providers can be held liable when an accident is the result of their negligence. When third-party suppliers provide faulty sensors, cameras or hardware, they can be held liable. People involved in creating self-driving technology, such as engineers and programmers, may be held liable.
- Regulatory bodies and governments: Should it get determined that poor enforcement of laws or a lack of regulations contributed to an accident, regulatory bodies or governments may be considered at fault. They can also be considered at fault when accidents are caused by faulty traffic signals, lack of signage or poor road conditions.
It can be complicated to determine liability. Determining liability may require a lot of data analysis and forensics. A percentage of fault may be allocated by courts to different parties. A personal injury lawyer at our firm can help you to collect evidence and determine who can be held liable for your injuries. Call us today for a free consultation.
What Should You Do After a Waymo Taxi Accident?
If you are involved in a car accident in a Waymo vehicle:
- Keep calm: Get to safety and prioritize your safety.
- Call 911: Immediately call emergency services if you are injured.
- Immediately seek medical attention: Be sure to be seen by a doctor, even should you think your injuries are only minor or you’re not hurt at all. Some injuries take weeks or months to display symptoms. It’s important to have any possible injuries discovered and documented by a doctor. Failure to do this can cause an insurance company to claim something else injured you.
- Contact Waymo support: The support team for Waymo will get notified and you will be contacted by them via your phone or the car’s speakers.
- Document the scene: Be sure to take videos and pictures of the vehicle, accident scene or any injuries you sustain. Note the self-driving car’s license plate number, model and make.
- Exchange info: Exchange info with other involved parties, including any of the accident’s witnesses.
- Notify your insurance: Make sure your insurance company is notified about the accident as quickly as you can.
- Contact a personal injury attorney: Call us today for a free consultation so we can recover financial compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering and more.
Things Waymo’s support team will do include:
- Reviewing and confirming the accident
- Dispatching a roadside assistance team
- Helping you get another vehicle to take you to your destination
Things that will happen after your accident include:
- The accident will be investigated by insurance company to figure out who is at fault
- It might be difficult to figure out who is liable for your losses, such as your injuries
- You could consult with an attorney to figure out your legal options and who is liable
Things that can cause such accidents include:
- Sensor malfunctions
- Technical glitches
- Human drivers’ actions, like running red lights
- Unexpected road conditions
Important things to consider:
- Data analysis: Data is often recorded by self-driving cars regarding accidents. This can be critical evidence when investigating cases.
- Legal expertise: Lawyers can help collect evidence like self-driving car data, help you to navigate the legal process, and make sure you are properly compensated for the injuries you sustained.
Damages in a Waymo Accident Settlement
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving a Waymo vehicle, you may be eligible for financial compensation for:
Medical Bills
Our law firm can help you recover compensation for any medical expenses related to your Waymo accident. This includes medical bills you’ve already incurred as well as the medical expenses you can be reasonably expected to incur in the future relating to necessary future treatments.
Lost Wages
Our law firm can help you to recover compensation for any wages you aren’t able to earn due to your Waymo accident, including wages you can’t earn due to being hurt too badly to work or having to take time off from work to have injuries treated.
Loss of Earning Capacity
If you are left disabled by a Waymo accident, our law firm can help you recover compensation for the loss or reduction of your earning capacity represented by your disability.
Pain and Suffering
If your Waymo accident has caused you to experience physical pain and/or mental suffering, our law firm can accurately calculate the value of your pain and suffering and make sure you’re fairly compensated for it.
Property Damage
If your vehicle was struck by a Waymo vehicle, our law firm can help you recover compensation for the cost to repair or replace your vehicle as well as anything inside your vehicle at the time of the accident.
Wrongful Death
If you lost a loved one in an accident involving a Waymo vehicle, we can help you recover compensation for your loved one’s funeral costs, burial costs, medical bills, pain and suffering. We can also help get you compensated for your grieving and suffering as well as the loss of your loved one’s companionship, love, household services, spousal benefits and income.
Waymo Self-Driving Car Accident Examples
Waymo’s autonomous vehicles have been involved in numerous accidents, which include traffic violations and crashes. Waymo is being investigated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for these accidents.
Motor vehicle accidents involving self-driving Waymo vehicles include:
- Multi-car San Francisco collision: One of Waymo’s autonomous cars got involved in a multi-car, fatal collision in the City of San Francisco.
- Phoenix crashes: Waymo has seen involvement in numerous autonomous vehicle crashes in Phoenix. One example included two Waymo driverless vehicles colliding with the same tow truck in a span of minutes.
- Wrong-way driving: One of Waymo’s vehicles has been seen driving down a street the wrong way in Tempe.
Waymo has stated that most crashes involving its vehicles are the fault of cars being driven by a human driver. The company has stated that its vehicles continue outperforming human drivers in terms of major safety metrics. The company has voluntarily recalled its software after certain accidents.
Contact a Waymo Accident Attorney Today
Call us today for a free case evaluation if you or a loved one has been injured or killed in an accident involving a Waymo vehicle. We’ve been helping accident victims for over 30 years and have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for accident victims. We won’t charge any fee until and unless we obtain a recovery and we can help you get to doctors who won’t charge any fee until your case is over. Call us today.
