Buffalo, New York BlueCruise Crash

Jed Dietrich, Esq., Is a Recognized Super Lawyer Committed to Protecting the Rights of Car Accident Victims Across Buffalo, New York. If You or a Loved One Has Been Injured Due to a Defective Ford BlueCruise System, The Dietrich Law Firm P.C. Could Help You Explore Your Best Options for Effective Legal Relief. 

Ford is facing increased scrutiny after federal regulators identified BlueCruise, the company’s self-driving technology, as the potential cause of multiple fatal car accidents.

In a recent statement, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it would subject BlueCruise to an engineering analysis. Regulators are expected to examine the circumstances surrounding each crash, as well as the role that BlueCruise’s in-built features may have played. Early evidence suggests that several fatal collisions occurred after BlueCruise repeatedly failed to detect stationary objects on the roadway. If the NHTSA determines that BlueCruise is defective, it could order the recall of millions of BlueCruise-enabled vehicles.

The government is currently investigating Ford over BlueCruise’s involvement in fatal accidents, but this new technology is believed to have contributed to many more non-fatal crashes and collisions.

If you or a loved one has been injured due to a BlueCruise-related defect, you could be entitled to significant compensation. A recognized U.S. News & World Report Best Law Firm, the Dietrich Law Firm P.C. has spent decades helping Buffalo families assert their rights to a fair recovery. We could help you, too. Call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 716-839-3939 to speak to a BlueCruise accident lawyer in Buffalo and schedule your 100% free, no-obligation consultation as soon as possible.

Ford introduced BlueCruise in 2021.

BlueCruise is marketed by Ford as “a hands-free driving technology.” It includes features like:

1. Adaptive Cruise Control;
2. Lane Centering; and
3. Hands-free steering on controlled-access highways.

Critically, much like competing products such as Tesla’s Autopilot, BlueCruise is not a fully autonomous program. Instead, it uses a network of cameras, radars, and spatial data to interpret traffic conditions and respond accordingly. On certain controlled-access highways, termed “Blue Zones,” BlueCruise can effectively “take control” of the vehicle. However, this technology has clear limitations. Even if marketing materials may lead some consumers to believe that BlueCruise provides a self-driving experience, motorists are expected to be prepared to take the wheel at a moment’s notice.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, began investigating Ford after reviewing reports on two fatal collisions. In one incident, a Ford Mach-E rear-ended a stationary vehicle, killing a 56-year-old; in the other, a Mach-E crashed into two cars parked on the side of a highway, leaving two people dead.

Since opening its investigation, the NHTSA has released some of its findings. The agency has not held Ford liable for any violation or defect related to BlueCruise, but it now believes that Ford’s assisted-driving technology suffers from severe limitations. These include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Poor nighttime visibility;
2. An inability to detect stationary objects when traveling at speeds above 62 miles per hour; and
3. An apparent failure to alert or otherwise warn drivers when a collision is imminent.

As a general rule, automobile manufacturers like Ford have a legal responsibility to test new products and ensure that they are safe to be used for their intended purpose. If and when a company fails to properly design, test, or repair an inherently defective system, it could be liable for the cost of any resulting accident.

Under New York law, accident victims have a legal right to file a claim for compensation against the person or party who caused their injuries. Depending on the circumstances of your accident and the severity of your injury, you could be entitled to sue under any one or more of the following legal theories:

1. Automobile manufacturers are expected to take reasonable steps to test their products and guarantee their safety. If Ford, or another company, knew that one of its systems could pose a risk to motorists, it should take steps like issuing a consumer warning or ordering a general recall. Companies that fail to take these kinds of common-sense steps to address documented problems could be found negligent and, by extension, liable for defect-related collisions.
2. Product liability. You could be entitled to file a product liability lawsuit if BlueCruise was in some way defective. Defects can occur at almost any stage in the supply chain, from the product’s initial design to its distribution, sale, and marketing. Many product liability claims are litigated without any requirement to prove negligence. However, you may have to establish other elements to secure an award, including the existence of a defect. This could be more challenging than it sounds, particularly if the defendant tries to argue that your own inattention caused or contributed to the crash.
3. Wrongful death. In New York, the executor of a deceased person’s estate is entitled to file a wrongful death lawsuit on behalf of the estate’s beneficiaries. Wrongful death lawsuits are similar to personal injury claims. In general, if the deceased person would have been eligible to file a personal injury claim had they survived their injuries, then the estate will also have standing to initiate a wrongful death lawsuit.

Your damages in a personal injury lawsuit are compensation for the loss, hardship, and suffering you have suffered as the direct result of an accident. In New York, damages typically fall into any one of the following categories:

1. Special damages. Special damages compensate verifiable economic loss. Your special damages could include money for hospital bills, the cost of physical rehabilitation, and lost income from work. You could be entitled to additional damages if you have other outstanding or anticipated expenses.
2. General damages. General damages compensate comparatively intangible forms of suffering and hardship. Your general damages could include funds to help alleviate emotional distress, physical pain and suffering, disfigurement, or loss of enjoyment.
3. Punitive damages. Punitive damages do not compensate for loss. Instead, they are levied in cases where the defendant was egregiously negligent. Punitive damages are not awarded in most personal injury claims, but yours could be eligible if evidence comes to light that shows Ford knew, or had reason to know, that its BlueCruise system was defective.

New York does not limit damages in most personal injury lawsuits. This means that you could receive as much money as you need to begin rebuilding your life. However, while New York does not cap compensation, it does enforce a strict statute of limitations applicable to all automobile accident claims. If you wait too long to contact an attorney, the statute of limitations could lapse. Once it does, you might lose your right to a recovery.

Do not take chances with your rights: call Jed Dietrich, Esq., today at 716-839-3939 to speak to a Ford BlueCruise accident lawyer in Buffalo and schedule your 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!