The Washington Post recently posted a story about a car accident lawsuit that was filed against the large technology firm ‘Snapchat’. According to the complaint filed by the injured victim, features included in Snapchat’s product created an unreasonably dangerous situation. Further, the complaint contends that Snapchat’s dangerous product contributed directly to the accident. This case is a reminder that any party that contributed to a car accident can potentially be held liable for the resulting damages. If you have been involved in a Texas car accident and you believe a third party was at fault, you should speak to an experienced accident lawyer immediately.
Did Snapchat Encourage Dangerous Driving?
On September 15th, 2015, a teenager in suburban Atlanta wrecked her car while traveling at a speed of over 110 miles per hour. She lost control over her car and smashed into another vehicle. Unfortunately, the driver of that other vehicle suffered a serious traumatic brain injury. While there is no question that the teenager was negligent, the victim’s attorney claims that ‘Snapchat’ was equally at fault. According to the attorney, the eighteen year old driver was using a Snapchat application at the time of the accident. Snapchat is a communication tool that allows you to send short videos to your friends and family. On the surface, it may seem unusual that the company could be blamed for someone else’s improper use of their product. However, there is reason to believe that Snapchat’s application may have encouraged the dangerous driving. One of the features of the application allows users to add ‘filters’ to their videos. One of the available filters accurately displays how fast a user is traveling at the time the video was recorded. According to the teenage driver, she was trying to see how high she could get her ‘Snapchat speed’ to impress her friends. Testimony within the complaint contents the video filter speed hit 113 miles per hour immediately prior to the crash. Further, this is not the first automobile accident that has involved this Snapchat filter. There appears to be good reason to believe that this speed tracking feature encourages dangerous driving and creates an unreasonable safety risk.
Unreasonable Risk
Companies have a legal obligation to ensure that their products are safe. Some products should not be on the market, period. When a product creates an unreasonable risk for consumers, whether it is the customer or an innocent third party, the company must be held accountable. Defective products fit into several different categories, including flawed manufacturing, improper labeling and faulty design. Any of these defects can cause serious injuries. This Snapchat speed filter appears to have a fundamental design flaw. This type of flaw is inherent in the product and it means that the product is too dangerous to be available in the first place. This filter encourages young drivers to go far too fast.
Need Legal Assistance?
If you have been injured by a dangerous product, or in a Texas car accident, please contact our office today at (210) 308-8811 to learn more about how we can help you.
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