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Richmond Firm To Focus on Drone Liability

NPR

It’s official now.  If you own a drone, you have to register it with the FAA, and experts say 324,000 people have already done so.  In Richmond, one law firm saw a need and has stepped up to serve anyone injured by a drone.  Sandy Hausman reports.

In his spare time, lawyer Geoff McDonald coaches football, and a couple of years ago he was startled by a spy in the sky.

“The parent of an opposing player buzzed our practice field with a drone," he recalls. "It looked to me to be about the size of a Volkswagen, and it had these menacing propellers, and I thought to myself, ‘This could be really bad if it crashed, because somebody would get hurt.’”

He did some homework and discovered the industry was growing rapidly.

“The number of certified drones just last week exceeded the number of registered airplanes in the United States,” McDonald says.

So he urged his colleague, Jeremy White, to get some official training in how to fly a drone so they could prepare for cases involving injuries or damage.

“We don’t see too many accidents happening yet," White says, "but just because we don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not happening, and I think that’s what we’re worried about.  The FAA doesn’t require any sort of licensure or training.  Children as young as 13 are allowed to register the aircraft.”

The two say there are safety guidelines but few legal requirements – no surprise if you study history.

“When cars were invented, you didn’t need a license to drive a car," McDonald says. "When planes were invented, you didn't need a license to fly a plane.  Eventually, legislation caught up with technology.”

In the mean time, Geoffrey McDonald and Associates is awaiting its first call from an injured party, and the firm urges anyone who’s flying a drone to consider buying liability insurance.