Risk of lawsuit when someone trips over a charge cable?

[steve841]

Not sure where to post this but ....

When charging at a supercharging station or similar public site or UMC plugged in to an outlet at a hotel ...

Because these days people need signs to tell them anything, what's the liability angle when your car is charging and some curious fool trips over the charging cord?

Do we need to carry orange cones along for the ride?

I know it's stupid, but someone actually asked me that ....

 

[bonnie]

Once I see people putting up orange cones when putting fuel in their ICE, I'll start worrying about it.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Not sure where to post this but ....

When charging at a supercharging station or similar public site or UMC plugged in to an outlet at a hotel ...

Because these days people need signs to tell them anything, what's the liability angle when your car is charging and some curious fool trips over the charging cord?

Do we need to carry orange cones along for the ride?

I know it's stupid, but someone actually asked me that ....

It would be the property owner, not you, that would primarily be the one who could possibly be held liable. That said, anyone suing would have to demonstrate the property owner (or car owner) acted negligently in how they kept the power cable while charging. My understanding from these forums is that the superchargers have very short cords, so the car has to be right near it to reach the supercharger. And the UMC isn't too long, about the same as a typical cable at a gas station. So, unless gas stations are regularly sued successfully for people tripping over the cables running from the pump to the cars while people are filling up with gas, I'd say that there's very little to worry about with this.

Yes, anyone can sue anybody, but that doesn't mean they're going to be successful. Given where most outlets/charging stations are located, I'd be shocked if anyone is ever successful in bringing such a claim.

 

[wycolo]

> people tripping over the cables running from the pump to the cars [Arnold Panz]

AP, your world view has been *almost* completely electrified. I like that!

I just received a CS-60 charge station. Haven't opened the box yet but shining thru the handhold openings I see bright orange cables!! This will help me differentiate between the 30 Amp black cables I now use, and maybe avoid the Head of Medusa syndrome.
--

 

[NigelM]

Mode note: Edited title for clarity.

 

[cdabel]

Thanks for reminding me of one of the reasons I appreciate being an expat.

 

[Arnold Panz]

AP, your world view has been *almost* completely electrified. I like that!

Funny -- I was trying to think of the word for the cord at the gas station pump and couldn't come up with it ("line", "cord" etc.??), so I just figured for symmetry I'd use "cable", even though that's clearly a reference to something that conducts electricity.

 

[Sparrow]

Back in the late 90s I know Georgia Power got sued by a woman that tripped over one of the charging cords at a local mall, I just don't remember what the outcome was.

 

[ChrisgG]

maybe you can sue them back for damaging the car. And as it a high voltage connection he might even go in for tried murder or something

Just play this while charging

ll Sue Ya - YouTube

 

[NigelM]

Funny -- I was trying to think of the word for the cord at the gas station pump and couldn't come up with it ("line", "cord" etc.??),.....

Hose.

Reminded me of this:

 

[Alfafoxtrot1]

In most jurisdictions, Plaintiffs can't recover for failing to appreciate an open and obvious condition. So, if a car is parked - of course its likely to be plugged in. Right?! Ok, ask this question again in 10 years...

 

[rlpm]

ll Sue Ya - YouTube

There are no words to describe how ultimately bad a$$ Weird Al is. And he's right. It's too litigious out there. And I live where a woman sued McDonald's because she spilled hot coffee in her lap.

 

[steve841]

Sucks to be a libertarian.

I am confounded by the thought process of law suits for anything

 

[bonnie]

I have to speak up about that McDonald's case. While there are more frivolous lawsuits than we can count in a lifetime, that case was not one.

• McDonald's was repeatedly warned that the temp of the coffee was being kept too hot. They deliberately did this so that coffee could poured and sit on the counter for 5 minutes or more, and still be hot enough to serve.
• The woman who was burned suffered third degree burns and required skin grafts. The synthetic material literally melted from the temp of the coffee, stuck to her skin, and the skin was gone. I saw the pics. They weren't for the faint of heart.

If this had been a mistake, I might not feel the same way. But McDonald's was written up by the local inspector for the excessive coffee temp. They deserved the outcome. The jury did the right thing.

 

[rlpm]

Thanks for the information, Bonnie. Mea culpa for not doing any research. That case is bandied about as frivolous, but with this information, I agree it's not.

 

[Arnold Panz]

Thanks for the information, Bonnie. Mea culpa for not doing any research. That case is bandied about as frivolous, but with this information, I agree it's not.

Don't feel bad -- this was actually a very deliberate move by McDonald's and other "tort reform" groups to discredit some otherwise legitimate claims. There was a great documentary I caught on HBO about this called "Hot Coffee" that covered that case, plus a few others, and it was extremely eye opening. For someone like me (a lawyer normally predisposed to see all lawsuits as frivolous) and many others, it was a wake up call. The woman who sued was in a parked car, there had been hundreds (or thousands) of previous complaints about the temperature of the coffee, including major injuries, and no effort by McDee's to change what they were doing.

Here's a link with info about the movie. You may be able to find it On Demand with HBO or Netflix:

HOT COFFEE, a documentary feature film

 

[bonnie]

Thanks for adding this, AP. I'd never seen it before, had only known enough of the specifics to conclude there was nothing frivolous about it. Don't feel bad, rlpm, the 'hot coffee' case is firmly entrenched in the national mindset. It's kind of like trying to convince people that Gore didn't actually claim to have invented the internet.

 

[rlpm]

Thanks Bonnie & AP.
Al Gore did invent Tha Intarwebs! Well, at least, he made sure the funding happened. Thanks Unca Al!

 

[Arnold Panz]

Hose.

That's it!

OT, Nigel, I was wondering what they're going to call the "frunk" in the UK -- perhaps the "froot"?!

 

[NigelM]

That's it!

OT, Nigel, I was wondering what they're going to call the "frunk" in the UK -- perhaps the "froot"?!

You know there's nothing new on here anymore.... :wink:

nerd-joke
What-s-the-word-for-'frunk'-in-England
The-Frunk?