If someone jumps infront of my car, and theres no way i can avoid them, and they die, is it murder on my part or suicide on theirs? Legally, not moraly.

If people witness this and its proven they jumped in front of you car, you will not be found guilty of anything.

It all comes down to what the investigating officer determines as he investigates the scene and interviews you. He will of course expect to find you AT the scene and available for interview -- and depending on your state of mind at the time and what he sees on the ground and learns from other witnesses, he may elect to have one or more follow-up interviews.

But he'll look for evidence that what you say is true. Did someone else see him "jump" in front of your car? Who else saw you driving prior to the accident, and what was that like? Where had you been driving from and to? Were you late for an appointment, and perhaps speeding? What was your own state of mind? If the investigation heats up (and it probably will if this person had no reason to be committing suicide, and wasn't drunk, etc., or if he's a prominent person in the jurisdiction), then your cell phone records may be subpoenaed to see if perhaps you were texting or talking at the time -- which would weigh against you if you had not already admitted this.

If you couldn't avoid them because you were speeding, texting, eating, talking, reading, distracted, playing with someone, nodding off from sleep or in any other way inattentive then you are at least partly culpable.

Bottom line is, if you cause a fatality while you're driving, you'd better get yourself a lawyer pronto and say as little as possible to the police on the scene. That was advice that was given to me "just in case, someday" (I didn't need it) from a former ten-year Deputy with the LA County Sheriff's Dept.

In court, it doesn't matter what "is" or "is not". What matters is "what can be proved?"

This happend on I-40 West in Nashville.

Homeless alcoholic man was standing on the side of the road. and, according witnesses, he waited for a tractor-trailer rig to come along.

He walked out in front of the rig, turned around and smiled at the driver.

The truck could not stop, it happened so fast.

This was ruled a suicide.

This can get complex, and depends to a degree on the laws where you live. But, if the accident was unavoidable, with no negligence on your part, its likely to be ruled an accident. If you were negligent (talking on your cell phone?), it would be manslaughter, which is less serious than murder. If you tried to hit the person, you get into the various degrees of murder... i.e. premeditated or not, with special circumstances or not, etc.

Depends how many times you have to swerve before you hit him!

manslaughter, ask donte stallworth

Innocent until proven guilty ^_^

If the facts are as you say and you don't leave the scene of the accident and call for help, legally & morally you are not responsible. It may be ruled an accident or suicide.