
June 22,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, An item on the Ridgewood BOE’s meeting agenda for June 22, 2015 reads as follows:
“Acceptance of a gift in kind from the RHS HSA of a Go Pro [DJI] Phantom 2 Quadcopter to be used to film activities at Ridgewood High School.”
Say what?Who is going to be flying this drone and will students be present while it is in use?
This is a very big lawsuit waiting to happen. Even experienced pilots frequently crash these devices.
Remember what happened to Enrique Igleslias!
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3104747/Enrique-Iglesias-recovering-fingers-sliced-concert.html
But what happens when a UAV filming a sporting event or wedding loses control and hits bystanders? Who is at fault, legally speaking? Fast Company reached out to experts in order to find out—and the consensus is, at the very least, the pilot will have a lot of explaining to do. https://www.fastcompany.com/3028781/what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes
Gerald C. Sterns, a California-based aviation and personal injury lawyer, says that common law offered the best precedents. “My analogy and best estimate would be a common law and a judge would find if you bang someone in the head, [such as with] a non-domesticated animal who caused damage to another,” Sterns said. “The owner claimed he wasn’t negligent, the animal got out. The judge said it didn’t matter. If you keep a wild animal you do so at your peril. A judge might view drones causing damage as no different than the non-domesticated animal causing damage.” https://www.fastcompany.com/3028781/what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes
Negligence was also broached with Florida aviation attorney Timothy Ravich. He said the operator of a small UAV that loses control and accidentally injures an individual could be named as a defendant in a trial. Though the question of liability is up to a judge and jury, the vehicle’s loss of control could lead to charges of negligence—charges that, depending on the specifics of the situation, could also lead to the UAV’s manufacturer and event organizers being named as defendants as well. In addition, intentionally injuring bystanders with a UAV brings up separate issues of criminal law. https://www.fastcompany.com/3028781/what-happens-when-a-drone-crashes