Uber Rideshare Accident Lawyers
You may be eligible for compensation if you have been injured as the result of negligence from an Uber rideshare accident. Call us for a free case evaluation today.
Uber Rideshare Accident Attorneys
Once we started getting around with an app, we never looked back, and Uber’s been there since the beginning. The convenience of hopping in an Uber and leaving the driving, parking, and navigating to someone else is almost too good to be true. Uber accidents, however, are serious accidents that are far too common. If you’ve been injured by an Uber driver’s negligence, you shouldn’t wait to consult with a California Uber accident attorney.
Uber Drivers Have a Lot on Their Plates
Uber drivers are contract workers who aren’t making a dime when they don’t have a passenger in their cars. In other words, Uber drivers have to stay on the move in order to make a living, and in the process, they face a number of obstacles that tend to make accidents more likely.
Uber Drivers Are Not Professional Drivers
Uber drivers take on many of the same responsibilities that professional drivers do, but they are not required to have the same level of experience that professional drivers are, to have the same commercial driver’s license that professional drivers do, or to be governed by the same exacting safety rules and restrictions that professional drivers are. In other words, Uber drivers face many of the same job expectations as professional drivers, but they can lack the tools necessary to shoulder these responsibilities safely.
Uber Drivers Face Enhanced Risks
In order to pick up their fairs and earn a living, Uber drivers are required to engage in all of the following:
- Interacting with the Uber app behind the wheel
- Locating and identifying passengers who are waiting for pick-up
- Driving in areas of the city that they may not be familiar with
- Pulling in and out of traffic as they make frequent stops to pick up and drop off passengers
It’s a lot to contend with behind the wheel, and it can leave Uber drivers at a safety disadvantage. Additionally, Uber drivers often have to hustle for fares in their concerted effort to make a living, which can leave them spread a bit too thin. Although there are some hours of restriction limitations for rideshare drivers, they are easily bypassed, and many Uber drivers do so for financial reasons.
Filing an Uber Claim
If an Uber driver’s negligence injures you, you’ll need to file your accident claim with the insurance company involved, but determining which insurance company is the correct insurance company can be daunting. Consider the following:
- If the Uber driver is on the app and has a passenger or is on route to pick up a passenger, Uber’s own coverage kicks in.
- If the Uber driver is on the app but is merely waiting for a passenger, the driver’s own coverage must be exhausted before Uber’s is tripped.
- If the Uber driver is no longer on the app, your claim will proceed the same way that it would in any other car accident claim.
It’s important to note that this process can be less straightforward than it appears. Uber drivers often flip back and forth between rideshare apps to help them maximize their drive time, meaning that the sole reason the driver who leaves you injured is on the road can be in the capacity of a rideshare driver for Uber, but this doesn’t necessarily mean that Uber will be on the hook for insurance liability in the event of a car accident.
A Note about Uber and Their Drivers
While the person driving you is, indeed, an Uber driver, he or she does not work for Uber as an employee. Your driver is a contract worker, which helps Uber keep its own responsibility as an employer and its own liability at a minimum. This fact can put a bit of a spin on your Uber accident claim, which may or may not go through Uber’s insurance coverage.
Uber Driver Negligence
As with other car accidents, Uber accidents are often caused by driver negligence, which can come in all too many varieties.
Distraction
As mentioned, Uber drivers face considerable distractions – in fact, they are built into their job. When an Uber driver allows himself or herself to be distracted by outside enticements – such as his or her smartphone – the danger rises precipitously. Uber drivers can also be distracted by their passengers, who can get up to all kinds of nonsense.
Your Damages
If an Uber driver’s negligence has injured you, your losses can translate to all of the following damages:
- Medical Expenses – Your medical costs can be expansive, beginning with emergency treatment and flowing into surgery, hospitalization, doctor visits, pain management, rehabilitation, physical therapy, prescription meds, and much more.
- Lost Wages – While you spend time recovering from your injuries, you will likely miss work and experience lost wages as a result. If you are unable to come back at full speed, you may face a decrease in earning potential, and the course of your career may be permanently altered.
- Pain and Suffering – The physical and emotional pain and suffering associated with being injured in a violent Uber accident can haunt you into your future.
Impairment
Uber drivers are paid to transport passengers, and there is simply no way that impairment in any form can fit safely into this equation. Impaired drivers are dangerous drivers, and they should not be on the road – much less behind the wheel of an Uber.
Exhaustion
The effects of exhaustion are much like those of impairment, and because Uber drivers tend to be in perpetual motion, exhaustion is a real possibility. Exhausted drivers make our roadways less safe for everyone who travels on them.
Excess Speed
The more speedily an Uber driver gets to where he or she needs to be, the greater his or her earning potential behind the wheel. Speed, however, plays far too serious a role in deadly traffic accidents.
Reach out to an Experienced California Uber Accident Lawyer Today
If an Uber driver’s negligence leaves you injured, the formidable Uber accident lawyers at Los Angeles City Law are well-positioned to help guide your claim toward its most favorable resolution. For more information, please don’t hesitate to contact or call us at 866-522-4895 today.
