Rideshare Accident Lawyer

The simple concept of “giving someone a lift” has led to the new industry of rideshare. People with cars earn money by driving passengers who, for whatever reason, don’t want to drive themselves or take public transportation. Some may get a ride to and from a doctor’s appointment or another outing. Others may use a rideshare to get home after a night, especially if alcohol is involved. While this is a great option for many, sometimes there are rideshare accidents that require a personal injury attorney's help.

Taking an Uber or Lyft ride is easy. With a few taps on your phone, someone will meet you and give you a ride wherever you need. Everything is done through the app, including paying the fare. In some cities, many people use rideshare services and forego car ownership. Catching rides with a rideshare driver is usually less expensive than a taxi.

Rideshare Accidents Do Happen

Of course, using a rideshare app is convenient, and you get where you’re going easily. The downside is that the drivers are not licensed, professional taxi drivers. Rideshare drivers are everyday people earning money or even their entire living by driving around passengers. When you hop into the back seat, you have no idea if the person you trust with your ride and your life is a safe driver with a good record.

So Who’s Responsible?

• Your role in the accident—were you:
  • The rideshare driver
  • The rideshare passenger
  • The driver of another car
  • A passenger of another car
  • A pedestrian
• If the rideshare driver was “on duty” at the time of the accident
• The cause of the accident

Uber and Lyft have $1M insurance policies to cover their drivers while on duty. Whether you’re a rideshare passenger, pedestrian, or driving or riding in another vehicle, you can file a claim against their policy if your injuries are caused by one of their drivers. What if the driver of the vehicle that hit your rideshare doesn’t have any insurance or enough? Both companies have a UM/UIM policy for uninsured motorist coverage. You can bring a claim against their other policies.

Drivers are required to have their own insurance as well. They may have a rider on their personal policy for rideshare activity, or they may have a separate policy entirely. If the driver was not on duty at the time of the accident, the claim is filed against the driver’s personal auto insurance.

What To Do After A Rideshare Accident

If you’re involved in an accident while in an Uber or Lyft vehicle, you’ll need to do many of the same things you’d do if you were driving:

• Call the police and request medical assistance if needed
• Use your phone (or a camera if you have one) to take photos with time stamps of the accident scene, including:
  • The position of all involved vehicles
  • The location of the accident (streets, landmarks, etc.), including lights and stop signs
  • Weather conditions
  • The interior of both vehicles
  • Injuries
  • Skid marks in the vicinity
  • Property damage
  • Driver’s licenses, license plates on the vehicles, and each driver’s insurance cards
• Write down all insurance information for each driver involved
• Get contact information (name, phone number, etc.) for each eyewitness; send each a text to ensure you have the correct information
• Seek medical attention for yourself immediately
• Report the accident to the rideshare company (Uber or Lyft) and your own insurance company

Once you can, contact a personal injury attorney who understands rideshare accidents immediately. If you wait too long, evidence may be erased, and there may not be enough time to bring a claim. Avoid talking to any insurance company representatives who call until you speak with an attorney. Otherwise, your claim could be denied.

Common Causes Of Rideshare Accidents

Like other auto accidents, rideshare accidents are caused by negligence. Rideshare accidents can be caused by:

• Distractions—a rideshare driver depends on his or her smartphone for work. But when the car is in motion, the smartphone becomes a distraction that could cause an accident.
• Fatigue—because drivers spend a lot of time on the road, they become tired after many hours of driving. If they don’t take adequate breaks and keep driving past the point of fatigue, they may become exhausted and make a mistake behind the wheel.
• Reckless driving/speeding—drivers are paid only when they pick up and drive passengers in a day’s time, so the incentive is to drive as many as they can in a day. Some drivers may decide to speed up or drive recklessly to drive one more passenger.
• Inadequate vehicle maintenance—a rideshare vehicle experiences more wear and tear than it would normally. If a driver doesn’t properly maintain a vehicle, faulty and failing parts may contribute to an accident.
• Weather conditions
• Under the influence—a driver with alcohol or drugs in their system will not have a good reaction time or reflexes to avoid an impending accident. A very sluggish one may also cause an accident.

Just like an accident where you were driving, a rideshare accident can result in injuries that could be serious and possibly even disabling.

To get proper compensation for your injuries, a California rideshare accident attorney can help solve the question of who will pay for your injuries and then pursue the appropriate claim. Contact us today to start your claim.

Let Us Help After An Uber Or Lyft Accident

Rideshare accidents can be more complicated than a normal two-car accident. Both companies are notoriously difficult to deal with and have been known to leave their drivers in this position without assistance. A California rideshare accident attorney can work with you to get the help you need and a fair settlement with damages to cover your injuries.