Start Here If You’ve Been Injured In A Waymo Accident In Arizona

Self-driving vehicles are rising in popularity, and now you can even call one like an Uber through services like Waymo. Phoenix has been one of Waymo’s flagship cities where they offer new services first. While they have largely been successful, it hasn’t been without some obstacles. One motorcyclist was killed in Tempe after rear-ending a Waymo vehicle and being struck by another hit-and-run driver. Phoenix was also a city where Waymo began testing highway services, but those services were quickly paused. Despite the safety measures that advanced technology offers, there is clearly still a risk of being injured in an accident with a Waymo vehicle while driving on Arizona’s roads. This can be an especially complicated type of legal claim, especially because Waymo has a highly skilled legal team. Read on if you’re seeking more information on this topic, and for your free phone consultation with an experienced Mesa injury lawyer, call 602-600-6001. 

Injured as a Waymo Passenger?

If you have been injured as a Waymo passenger, a large factor in your claim will be whether you were injured due to Waymo’s negligence or another driver’s mistake. If you were injured and it was Waymo’s fault, you should be covered through their liability policy, which is $5 million. This policy extends to expenses like medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. But more often, accidents involving Waymo vehicles were the other driver’s fault. Waymo’s liability does not protect its passengers injured in traffic collisions caused by other parties. This means that the injured passenger will need to seek compensation through the at-fault driver’s insurance policy. Additionally, Waymo does not maintain UM/UIM insurance coverage for its passengers. So if the at-fault driver flees the scene or doesn’t have insurance coverage, there may be no way for an injured passenger to collect on their damages. A caveat to this is that Waymo offers $25,000 in Medical Payments coverage. This policy covers reasonable and necessary medical expenses after an accident- $25,000 per person. This policy can pay out regardless of who was at fault for the accident. While it’s better than nothing, this policy doesn’t cover expenses like lost wages, lost earning potential, and pain and suffering. 

Injured in a Traffic Collision with a Waymo Vehicle?

You could be injured by a Waymo vehicle as a driver, pedestrian, cyclist, etc. Fault determination will be highly important in a Waymo accident claim. If Waymo is at fault for the accident, their $5 million liability policy will apply. However, a personal injury claimant can expect the other party to pour significant resources into the defense if the claim is worth anywhere near the $5 million ceiling. The liability policy applies to the broad extent of the claimant’s damages. But most accidents aren’t clearly 100% one party’s fault. That’s where Arizona’s comparative negligence rules for injury claims come into play. 

A.R.S. § 12-2505 is Arizona’s comparative negligence law, which impacts how a plaintiff can be awarded in a personal injury case when they were partially at fault for the accident. In Arizona, an injury award is reduced by the extent to which the plaintiff was at fault for the accident. In some states, a plaintiff is cut off at the 50/50 mark, meaning that they are ineligible to collect damages if they were at least half at fault for the accident. Arizona does not apply that limitation- a plaintiff can still collect if they were 99% at fault for an accident, although the circumstances leading to this are rare. So, unless Waymo was obviously at fault for the accident, fault determination will be a hotly debated issue. The plaintiff will need to secure evidence that supports their side of the story so that the deduction from their award can be minimal. 

Other Potential At-Fault Parties in a Waymo Collision

Waymo only has limited medical coverage for its passengers, and otherwise won’t pay out for a traffic collision that wasn’t their fault. Here, the claimant will need to find other at-fault parties to pursue for their damages. Some potential defendants to name in a personal injury suit include: 

• Another driver: There could be one or more other parties at fault for the accident. They should stop at the scene and exchange insurance information with you and any other drivers involved in the collision. Do your best to remain calm during this conversation, and don’t admit fault. If the police come to the scene, they may issue a police report, which may contain a fault determination. 
• A government entity: Your accident could have occurred due to failure by a government entity to ensure that the roads are safe. Examples of when this may apply include when that entity was notified several times of a pothole and neglected to fill it, leading to an accident, or when road signs are poorly placed, causing confusion and leading to an accident. If you plan on pursuing a government entity for damages after a Waymo accident, you should be aware that this could affect the statute of limitations for your claim. The statute of limitations is the time period during which your personal injury claim will be legally valid. In general, when the defendant in an Arizona injury claim is a government entity, it will reduce the statute of limitations from 2 years to 6 months. 
• A business or other third party: While uncommon, sometimes the conduct of a business, passerby, or other third party can lead to a traffic collision. For example, a nightclub could be flashing overly bright lights which obscures vision, or even causes a driver to have a seizure, leading to an accident. Or, a pedestrian could unexpectedly run into the street, causing a driver to swerve and collide with another driver to avoid them. 
• A construction company or other contractor: There are plenty of ways that a construction company or other contractor’s negligence could cause a traffic accident. They could fail to put out signs indicating that road work is occurring, or recklessly operate a construction vehicle, leading to a collision. This could bring up the question of whether the company is liable, or the entity that hired the company. 

Contact Injury Lawyers Mesa for Your Free Phone Consultation After a Waymo Collision

Pursuing a personal injury claim after any type of accident is complicated. There is evidence to gather, research to conduct, and arguments to craft, all while dealing with injuries, vehicle repairs, and more. Additionally, you will automatically be at a disadvantage if you don’t retain an accident attorney, because there will typically be insurance companies- and their lawyers- involved in most claims. Your claim could become even more complicated if one of the parties from which you are seeking compensation is Waymo or another vehicle service. But you don’t have to face their legal team alone. Injury Lawyers Mesa offers free consultations to get started and a competitive contingency rate, which means that we don’t get paid until we win your case. Don’t hesitate to protect your claim with protection from qualified legal counsel. Get started today with your free consultation by phone at 602-600-6001 for more information.