If you were injured in an Uber or Lyft accident, you might be confused about your legal rights. You might not even know that you can file a personal injury claim to recover compensation for your losses, like medical bills and lost income. An Uber accident attorney in Long Beach can explain your legal rights and the process for recovering the compensation you are owed.
Belal Hamideh has handled hundreds of personal injury and workers’ compensation cases, resulting in over $100 million won for our deserving clients. With a 99% success rate, you can be assured that you are in capable hands. Contact us today for a free consultation.
Why You Need Legal Representation After a Rideshare Accident
You might think that you can handle your claim on your own and that you don’t need an attorney. However, Uber accident claims are often more complicated than a standard car accident case. Your lawyer can help build your claim by:
Identifying All At-Fault Parties
In an Uber accident case, establishing liability for the crash is often complicated. More than one party may be involved, such as;
- The rideshare driver
- The rideshare company
- Other motorists
- Car manufacturer
- Mechanic
One or more of these parties may be legally responsible for your injuries. An experienced attorney can conduct a thorough investigation to determine the cause of the accident and identify who is responsible for compensating you.
Proving Liability
Your rideshare accident lawyer can help prove your legal claim by presenting compelling evidence to the insurance company, such as:
- The police report
- Witness statements
- App data for Uber or Lyft
- Traffic camera footage, surveillance camera footage, or dashcam footage
- Photos of the accident scene
- Cell phone records
- Electronic data recorder information
- Medical records
- Reports from accident reconstruction experts
You likely will not have the opportunity to save this critical evidence when you’re dealing with painful injuries. Personal injury attorneys know how to identify and preserve valuable evidence before it is lost or stolen. Having this information can make the difference between the insurance company accepting your claim or denying it, as well as the amount of compensation you recover.
Determining Insurance Coverage
One of the most pronounced reasons why Uber accidents are more complicated than other types of traffic accidents is that different insurance policies and coverage limits may apply. Depending on when the rideshare accident occurred during the transaction, you may be able to file an accident claim with the rideshare driver’s liability insurance provider or the rideshare company’s insurer.
Rideshare and insurance companies have a vested interest in minimizing the value of your insurance claim to protect their own wealth. They may try to claim that the rideshare driver was off the clock at the time of the accident so that their personal liability insurance applies, rather than the much larger policy provided by the rideshare company. The rideshare driver’s personal liability insurance provider may try to say that the driver was working at the time and disclaim coverage, leaving you in a precarious position to obtain the compensation you need for medical expenses, lost wages, and other losses.
Rideshare accident attorneys are familiar with the various insurance layers involved in rideshare accident claims. They can demand proof of whether the driver was on or off the app at the time of the accident, request the insurance declaration page, and review all applicable insurance coverage. Equipped with this information, they can advise you whether you should file an insurance claim or a rideshare accident lawsuit.
Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options if you’ve been injured in an Uber accident.
Common Types of Claims Involving Rideshare Vehicles
Uber accidents and legal claims can take many forms, including:
- Passenger claims: Passenger claims arise when a paying customer is in an Uber vehicle that is involved in a collision during the transport.
- Other motorist claims: These types of claims arise when someone in another vehicle is hit by an Uber vehicle.
- Driver claims: Drivers can be hurt, too, when other motorists collide with them or passengers injure them.
- Pedestrian and bicyclist claims: A careless Uber driver may hit a pedestrian or bicyclist on the road.
If you’ve been injured in any type of Uber accident, contact Belal Hamideh for legal assistance today.
Common Causes of Rideshare Accidents
One thing people need to keep in mind is that Uber drivers are just like any other driver. They don’t have a commercial driver’s license or any special training. They are not taxi or limo drivers.
As such, they are just as prone to making driver errors that commonly cause accidents. In fact, they may be more likely to cause an accident due to the nature of the service they provide. Common factors that contribute to Uber accidents include:
- Speeding: Uber drivers are paid by the trip. The more rides they provide, the more they stand to earn. This also means that the faster they complete trips, the more rides they can complete in a shift. This creates a dangerous incentive to speed and employ other aggressive driving techniques to get passengers to their destinations more quickly.
- Distracted driving: Uber drivers are constantly checking the app for ride requests, determining routes to their destinations, and communicating with customers. Once they pick them up, they are listening to directions and might also be accepting the next ride request. Distracted drivers are much more likely to crash than those who maintain their full attention on the task of driving.
- Inexperienced driving: The requirements to drive for Uber are minimal. If you are at least 25 years old, have at least one year of driving experience, have a four-door vehicle that is less than 15 years old, have a California car registration and insurance, and can pass a background check, you can drive for Uber. Many young people drive for Uber as a means of earning extra money, but they often lack the necessary experience and training to transport passengers safely.
- Drowsy driving: Some drivers may work long hours or work Uber as a second job. They may get tired behind the wheel. Fatigued driving is similar to impaired driving in that reaction times are slowed and judgment is impaired.
- Maintenance issues: Since drivers rely on their personal vehicles for work, they may defer necessary maintenance, leading to crashes caused by blown tires, brake failures, or other mechanical issues.
An experienced Uber accident lawyer can thoroughly investigate your case and determine the factors that contributed to it. This helps identify all at-fault parties from whom you can seek compensation.
Financial Compensation Available for a Rideshare Crash
If you were injured in a rideshare accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to recover economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages refer to direct, financial losses you suffered as a result of the accident, while non-economic damages are more subjective and less tangible. Some of the damages you might be able to recover include the following:
Medical Expenses
Rideshare collisions can cause serious injuries that result in the need for extensive medical treatment.
In your rideshare accident lawsuit, you can seek compensation for all medical expenses related to your accident, including:
- Doctor bills
- Hospitalization
- Ambulance charges
- Surgeries
- Physical therapy
- Medical equipment
- Prescription medications
Your Uber accident lawyer can also account for your future medical expenses and needs.
Lost Wages
You may have to miss work to visit the doctor or recover after a rideshare accident. You can seek compensation for your lost income. If you suffered a permanent disability or impairment because of the accident, your lawyer can also seek damages for your lost earning capacity.
Property Damage
If you were in another vehicle at the time of the accident or on your bike, you can seek compensation to repair or replace your damaged vehicle and other damaged personal property.
Pain and Suffering
Not all losses stemming from a rideshare accident are tangible in nature. You can seek compensation for the subjective losses caused by the accident, including:
- Physical pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Mental anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Your personal injury lawyer will work closely with you to determine all the damages to include your demand.
Insurance Coverage for Rideshare Services
Uber drivers have different insurance coverage, depending on where they are during a rideshare transaction. Here is how it works:
- While offline: Drivers are not covered by rideshare insurance at this time. Their personal liability insurance applies during this time. The minimum liability insurance in California is $30,000 for bodily injury to one person, $60,000 for bodily injury to more than one person, and $15,000 for property damage.
- While online and waiting for a ride request: If the driver is logged onto the app and waiting for a ride request (Period 1), Uber’s insurance provides coverage of up to $50,000 for bodily injury to one person, $100,000 for bodily injury to more than one person, and $25,000 for property damage
- While en route or on a trip: If the accident occurs at any time from when the driver accepted the ride request (Period 2) to fulfilling the trip (Period 3), Uber’s $1 million policy applies for property damage and injuries to riders and third parties involved in an accident where the rideshare driver is found at fault.
Uber accident lawyers can obtain the necessary evidence to show which insurance policy applied at the time of your accident.
Contact a California Uber Accident Lawyer Today
If you were injured in a rideshare accident, contact an experienced Long Beach Uber accident attorney today. Belal Hamideh can Law, P.C. can fight to protect your rights and advocate for your fair treatment after an Uber accident. Contact us online today to schedule a free consultation.