Buffalo, New York, Automated Vehicle Car Accidents

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Is a Recognized Super Lawyer Committed to Defending the Rights of Automated Vehicle Car Accident Victims Across the Buffalo-Niagara Falls Metropolitan Region. If You, or a Loved One, Have Been Injured in an Automated Vehicle Car Crash That Was Not Your Fault, The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. Could Help You Secure the Compensation You Need and the Justice You Deserve.

---

Automated cars are no longer a recent invention, with the earliest working prototypes released in the late 1970s. However, it took the better part of a half-century for self-driving technologies to be put onto the open market, with Tesla debuting its signature Autopilot feature in 2015. In the years since, technology has advanced remarkably, with carmakers worldwide racing to produce vehicles with ever-more advanced systems.

Self-driving cars are, today, often posited as a safer, more energy-efficient alternative to conventional automobiles. Nevertheless, even as reports suggest that autonomous vehicles are better at performing specific tasks than human operators, their programming remains imperfect. For instance, Tesla’s semi-autonomous cars have been implicated in many preventable collisions, some involving school buses, ambulances, and police cruisers. In some cases, Tesla owners have been trapped inside their vehicles, dying or suffering serious injuries after critical safety features either disengaged or provided no opportunity for manual override.

For survivors of automated vehicle accidents, recovery can seem anything but straightforward. If another motorist was involved, they might refuse to admit liability, citing a technological defect. Meanwhile, the manufacturer may try to offload their liability onto the victim, insisting that the driver was distracted, inattentive, or otherwise negligent.

You do not have to accept excuses in place of a fair recovery. The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent decades fighting for the rights of automobile accident victims across Buffalo. If you or a loved one has been injured in an automated car crash that was not your fault, our experienced team of personal injury attorneys could help you secure the evidence needed to make a compelling case for recompense. Please send us a message online or call us at 716-839-3939 to schedule your free consultation and begin reclaiming your independence.

Coming To Terms With The Limits Of Automobile Automation

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has long extolled the benefits of motor vehicle automation. Even standard consumer-grade automation technologies, like automatic emergency braking and lane assist software, have shown promise in helping drivers avoid unexpected obstacles and accidents that might otherwise prove disastrous.

However, automated driving systems almost always rely on a wide range of inputs that, if compromised, risk the vehicle's integrity and its occupants' safety. In most modern automated cars, these inputs are generated by different sensors and systems, which work in tandem to produce the effect of semi-autonomous driving.

These technologies include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Cameras: Automated vehicles rely on high-resolution camera systems to detect automobiles in adjacent lanes, identify impending obstacles, and recognize various objects and traffic control signals.
2. Radar: Automotive radar often underlies more advanced driver assistance systems, such as adaptive cruise control and blind spot detection.
3. LiDAR: Light Detection and Ranging systems, or LiDAR, use pulser lasers to measure distances and produce a digital image of a vehicle’s surroundings. While still considered a promising technology, LiDAR systems are expensive to develop and vulnerable to signal interference and environmental disruptions.

Although integrated imaging systems are advancing at an unprecedented pace, no company has succeeded in producing a truly autonomous vehicle. Even Tesla, which touted its Full Self-Driving system as capable of piloting a car almost anywhere with minimal operator intervention, has conceded that none of its products are autonomous.

For instance, the Society of Automotive Engineers uses a widely adopted scale to assess and grade different levels of driving automation. This scale defines six levels of automation, numbered between 0 and 5, with 0 indicating “no driving automation” and 5 indicating “full driving automation.”

Today, most consumer vehicles do not offer any features beyond Level 1 Driving Automation, which encompasses basic driver assistance technologies. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Program, in contrast, is among the most advanced automation systems on the market—yet it is categorized as a Level 2 Driving Automation—Partial Driving Automation system, largely because it requires that a human driver be constantly alert and ready to assume control of the vehicle at any time.

This apparent disconnect between companies’ promises and marketing strategies—which lends to the appearance of self-driving technologies being more advanced than they are—has been a source of near-constant controversy, with some state-level officials claiming that companies like Tesla should be held liable for the costs of certain automated car accidents.

In practice, it can be difficult for automated car crash victims to secure compensation. Survivors almost always face an uphill battle against multibillion-dollar companies, which are reluctant to admit liability and invite further litigation. To succeed, personal injury claims must be underlain by substantial evidence and even stronger arguments.

Overcoming Obstacles In An Automated Vehicle Car Accident Claim

Automated car defects can have catastrophic consequences.

In one alarming, recent incident, a Bentley Flying Spur—an expensive sedan often outfitted with advanced driver assistance features—accelerated uncontrollably across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, colliding with a border security checkpoint and killing both its occupants. The resulting crash was so violent that law enforcement initially suspected a terror attack, with the federal agencies and state officials ordering the closure of border crossings across the region. But within days, evidence emerged suggesting a mechanical defect or other technical failure was more likely to have caused this accident.

Other supposedly self-driving and semi-autonomous vehicles, like the Tesla Model X, have been implicated in fatal accidents nationwide. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, for instance, recently determined that Tesla’s Autopilot feature played a critical role in the death of a California father, whose Model X sedan steered into a highway barrier without any warning.

However, Tesla and other carmakers rarely settle accident claims without first seeking to minimize their liability. If an automated car crash victim files a product liability lawsuit alleging that a defect caused or contributed to their injuries, the defendant may try to offload liability by making arguments, including but not limited to the following:

1. Negligence: Drivers must remain attentive to their surroundings even when using a vehicle’s self-driving features. Suppose a motorist is not sufficiently attentive to their surroundings and therefore cannot avoid an obstacle that a prudent driver would have likely noticed. The company may not be liable for the victim’s injuries in that case.
2. Intended Use: Manufacturers are only responsible for injuries arising from a product’s intended use. If a car accident victim misuses their vehicle by racing, expecting Autopilot to safely navigate traffic without user input, or some other means, the defendant could ask for the case to be dismissed.
3. Modification: Car companies cannot be held liable for modifications that could affect the vehicle’s use or safety. Consequently, a defendant may argue that adding or modifying features—such as a lowered suspension, engine rebuild, or scissor doors—created a specific and unforeseeable risk.

The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. believes nobody should pay the price for another party’s negligence. Our experienced team of car defect lawyers could help you or a loved one assess your damages and collect the evidence needed to prove the existence of a defect. If the carmaker is unwilling to negotiate in good faith, we could take them to court, presenting an ironclad case underlain by an expert investigation and irreproachable legal theory.

Since our founding in 2005, we have helped our clients across Buffalo secure more than $250 million in damages. We could help you, too, but you must act fast: if you wait too long to call Jed Dietrich, Esq., the New York state statute of limitations could lapse, preventing you from obtaining the compensation that you need and the justice that you deserve. Please call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. at 716-839-3939 to speak to an automated car accident attorney near Buffalo and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

---

Call the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. immediately at 716-839-3939 so that our aggressive, tenacious, and hardworking personal injury lawyers can fight to obtain the best result for your personal injury claim in Buffalo, New York. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and there is never a fee until we WIN for you!

---