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What happens if you get hit by a driverless car?

Driving can come with many challenges, no matter how experienced you are. These challenges can occur during any season, including fall. If you feel concerned about driving safety, you need to prepare yourself. Understanding safe driving in the fall can help you be... 

Premises liability and the ‘should have known’ qualifier 

When someone is accused of allowing a dangerous condition to persist and causing injury, a common response is to say that they did not know about the condition. In this way, they claim it was not their fault and there was nothing that could be done. 

For instance, you could slip and fall on an unmarked spill in a store. You feel that it’s the owner’s fault for leaving that wet area on the tiles, and you want compensation for your broken hip. They claim they didn’t know about the spill and they could not have been expected to mark a hazard they had no knowledge of. 

But should they have known the danger was there?

This reasoning can work, but you’ll often see it stated that someone is liable if they knew about the dangerous condition or “should have known” about it. It isn’t enough for a property owner to claim ignorance of a danger — they must be able to show that they had no reasonable way of knowing it was there in time to prevent an accident.

Say that the spill in the store mentioned above happened five minutes before you got there. A customer caused it and — rather than reporting it — just hurried back to their car. There was no way anyone could have been expected to find the spill in a few minutes, and it could even be that an employee was on the way to get a wet floor sign and just didn’t have enough time. 

But, if the spill happened four hours ago, things are very different. If the staff does not look for hazards often enough to find one in four hours, it could mean they’re not looking at all. This attitude could be viewed as negligent because it could allow all manner of dangerous conditions to continue to exist. If you do get injured in an accident, you may be able to seek compensation for your losses.

What you need to know about hit-and-run cases in California

If you are involved in a car accident, and the other driver did not stop and exchange insurance information, you may have experienced what is called “hit-and-run.”

Motor vehicle accidents are already stressful and disorientating. However, hit-and-runs make a bad situation worse. Here is some helpful information if you find yourself in this unfortunate situation.

What is a hit-and-run?

Hit-and-run is defined as leaving the scene of an accident without exchanging information with the other driver.

Reasons why people hit and run

Hit-and-run can be an intentional or an unintentional act. Intentional hit-and-runs often occur when the driver has either been drinking or is under the influence of drugs. Additionally, fleeing the scene of the accident is sometimes done when the person is angry specifically targeted the other person in the accident.

Unintentional hit-and-runs may occur when the vehicle driver suffers from a medical emergency, or if they are unable to communicate the accident due to a disability or mental impairment.

What are the consequences of a hit-and-run?

Hit-and-runs can have all the same mental, physical and emotional effects that a regular car accident often have. However, the unresolved issue of not being able to exchange information adds unnecessary suffering and stress.

What are the penalties for a hit-and-run?

Hit-and-run cases are a serious offense in California. The penalties vary depending on many factors, such as being intentional or intentional. Punishment for leaving the scene of an accident can include fines, suspension of driver’s licenses and jail time. Depending on the severity of injuries, it could be classified as a misdemeanor or a felony.

If you would like to know more about your rights or to discuss the merits of your case, strong legal counsel that is experienced and knowledgeable in California’s motor vehicle accidents laws can be beneficial.