Apple Sued, FaceTime Blamed For Fatal Car Accident
Driving and using a smartphone at the same time is usually made illegal in some states, with some caveats, for a reason. Drivers have time and again proven themselves incapable of exercising good judgment in those cases. Sometimes, however, companies that implement the technologies, or rather fail to implement them, should be held accountable as well. That seems to be the reasoning behind a lawsuit filed in Texas against Apple, accusing it of not implementing a FaceTime patent it held which could have prevented the death of a five-year old girl in a tragic 2014 vehicular accident.
It was 24th December 2014 in Texas and the Modisette family car, which was driving slowly because of road congestion, was hit from behind by another car driving at 65 mph. James, the father, and five-year old Moriah were gravely injured. Sadly, Moriah didn't survive.
The twenty-year old driver would later admit that he was using Apple FaceTime at the time of the accident. In fact, FaceTime was still running when police arrived on the scene. While it's undeniable that the whole tragedy could have been prevented with responsible driving, a rare trait among young people, the plaintiffs argue that Apple could have also done better.
According to the lawsuit, Apple filed for a patent in 2008, which was granted in 2012, that would have locked drivers out of FaceTime when the iPhone or iPad determined it was in a moving vehicle. The lawsuit uses very strong words, painting a picture of a company that willfully and knowingly disregarded the safety of its users for the sake of profit, especially when the cost of implementing the patent wold be minimal.
The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages, medical expenses, and others, though doesn't exactly demand that Apple implement the said patent. It is still uncertain whether the suit's claims have technological merits, though, should it win, it could set a legal precedent. Apple has, so far, refused to comment.
VIA: Apple Insider http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/12/29/lawsuit-blames-apples-less-safe-facetime-implementation-for-fatal-traffic-accident
SOURCE: Courthouse News