This week’s question comes from Angie W. in San Francisco. She asks, “I have been reading about Apple’s decision to object to, and refuse to comply with, an FBI request to crack the iPhone which was linked to a shooter in the San Bernardino massacre. How would this affect my privacy as an iPhone owner/user?”
Angie, this question is one which deals with an individual’s rights to privacy.
Walking results in some accidents; as you try to cross the street, drivers who don’t pay attention could fail to slow or stop in time, causing a pedestrian accident, injury, or death. Each year, 100 or more people are either killed or seriously hurt in traffic violence incidents, and 800 people are hurt or killed while being struck by cars every year.
Today’s question comes from the family of a young woman who was fatally injured in San Francisco. The death was caused by a vehicle owned by the City and County of San Francisco (CCSF) which was being operated by a City employee as part of their regular official work duties.
The vehicle in this case was a government service/shuttle van and not a police, fire or ambulance vehicle. The vehicle made a left turn from a lane, and at a location, reserved only for busses and taxis (one of those red painted lanes) and struck a pedestrian lawfully crossing in the crosswalk. If the vehicle had not made a left hand turn the death would not have happened.
The officers purportedly told the family that the vehicle was permitted to violate the Vehicle Code because it had “exempt” license plates.
There are many things drivers need to remember about motorcyclists and their vehicles. Those who aren’t careful around these motorists may cause accidents, and those negligent drivers can be held accountable by the victim and his or her attorney.
Drivers of passenger vehicles or commercial vehicles need to keep in mind that smaller vehicles like motorcycles can be hard to see on the roads. Motorcyclists don’t take up as much room on the road, and they can quickly fall into blind spots and areas where it’s hard to see that they’re nearby.
This week’s question comes from T.J. in the Outer Sunset who asks: “I was recently hit by a car while I was parked in my car listening to music. My car was wrecked and my shoulder got hurt. I called my insurance company and they said that my policy had lapsed. I had moved a while back and my old roommate didn’t tell me that the bill had come in. I would have paid it had I known. I called a lawyer and he said that even though it wasn’t my fault I could get my car fixed, my hospital bills paid, my time off work paid but nothing for the pain that it cost. How can this happen? I didn’t do anything wrong.”
In 1996 the voters passed the “Personal Responsibility Act,” commonly known as Proposition 213 and codified in the California Civil Code at Sections 3333.3 & 3333.4.
In a collision caused by a self-driving car, is the passenger, car owner, manufacturer liable? Or are all three legally responsible. The calculus of duty is uncertain, and this issue lies at the heart of policy, legislative, and regulatory discussions of autonomous vehicles. Chris Dolan explored these issues in an article published in the February 2016 issue of Trial magazine.
Pedestrians must be careful near roadways, because a distracted driver or one who is speeding could cause an accident. Someone who walks near the roads while distracted can also put his or her own life at risk.
While it’s nice to think that people always obey the rules of the road, the fact is that people don’t. Speeding, texting while driving, looking away from the road to break up an argument in the car and other kinds of situations can cause collisions. Drivers may think that just a second or two doesn’t matter, but for a pedestrian crossing the road, every second counts.
Yellow Cab Cooperative (“Yellow Cab”), the largest taxi company in San Francisco, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy last month. Yellow Cab is made up of 300 owners and operators with more than 500 cabs. Here is an update on the bankruptcy proceedings.
A meeting was held on February 1, 2016, so that the U.S. Trustee could interview people to be on the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors for the Yellow Cab bankruptcy. The unsecured creditors who have the top 20 largest claims were invited to attend. The Trustee selected attorneys David Cook, Benjamin Siegel, and Gary Angel to comprise the committee.
Our question this week comes from Anna K. from The Avenues who asks: “I work for a company of about 30 people. I have to find a new school for my daughter because we will be moving to Daily City. I need to go look during the work week because that’s when they have ‘open houses.’ I asked my foreman if I could take off a couple of hours to go tour the school with my daughter and she said ‘no.’ I told her I would use my vacation and she said that she couldn’t spare me this month. What are my rights, if any, to do this very important thing for my daughter?”