Uber Car Accident Attorneys

When you book a ride with Uber, it is fair to expect that your upcoming trip will be rather uneventful, in a good way. Unfortunately, there may come a time when you will need the assistance of an Uber accident lawyer.

You expect Uber drivers to be extra careful when they are behind the wheel, and they are, for the most part. Still, they are not immune to making mistakes. Whether it is due to negligence or something malfunctioning in their car, Uber drivers can still end up involved in accidents.

Passengers must know what to do if they are involved in an accident during an Uber ride. If you ever find yourself in that situation, you can use the information here to figure out what you need to do.

How Uber, Lyft, and Rideshare Services Work

Ridesharing has changed public transportation forever. Instead of waiting forever for an empty taxi or mass transport, you can now pull out your phone to get a ride. It is a highly convenient service that many commuters worldwide regularly use.

Booking a trip via a ridesharing app is pretty simple. First, you download your app of choice and create an account. After that, you must top off your account to pay for your rides. Once you set up your account, you can select a destination and book a ride. An Uber driver will then accept your request and pick you up. From there, you can enjoy the ride until you reach your destination.

Apps like Uber are immensely popular because they offer convenient and highly accessible services. Unfortunately, they can also present some issues. There is a chance you may need an Uber accident attorney at some point during your trip.

Uber Accident Statistics

Although ridesharing offers numerous benefits, it is worth taking the time to recognize its faults. More specifically, we need to acknowledge that the emergence of these services has led to an uptick in car accidents.

Per the Chicago Booth Review, the number of fatal car crashes in the United States increased in 2010 after a prolonged stretch of that specific statistic dropping. Why is that important? Well, 2010 happened to be the year that ridesharing launched. A recorded 3% spike in fatal auto accidents in the wake of ridesharing became available to the public.

The researchers suggest that the uptick in accidents could be related to more cars on the road. Since more people are on the road throughout the day, car accidents are bound to become more prevalent.

We should not ignore those accident numbers. They hint at the possibility of being involved in an Uber accident. Contact an Uber car accident lawyer immediately if you are ever involved in one of those incidents.

Who Should You Sue after an Uber Accident?

Who exactly should you sue if you were recently involved in an Uber accident? That can become complicated in a hurry.

You may think that Uber will be held responsible for the accident, but that is unlikely to be the case. Because Uber drivers are technically considered independent contractors, the company can avoid taking responsibility for their actions.

Instead of going after Uber, your best move is to pursue legal action against the party responsible for the accident. Since Connecticut is an at-fault state, the person responsible for what happened will compensate all the affected parties.

That person could be your Uber driver, or it could be the other driver. The police officers should identify who is at fault for what happened after they finish their investigation. Get that bit of information from there so you can start drawing up the legal paperwork together with your Simsbury and Glastonbury personal injury lawyers.

What Should You Do if the Uber Driver’s Insurer Contacts You?

At some time during the investigation, you will likely get a call from an insurance company. There is a good chance that the party attempting to reach you is your Uber driver’s insurer. Speaking to insurers can be a nerve-wracking experience. If you say something wrong, they may hold that against you. That statement you made could keep you from receiving fair compensation.

The good news is that you do not need to talk too much to the insurers if you do not want to. Provide some basic details about the incident, then refer them to your lawyer if they have more questions. You can say that right at the start of the call if you do not want to bother talking to your Uber driver’s insurance company.

Since you were the passenger, your driver’s insurers will probably not try to go after you too hard. They may save their toughest questions for the other driver involved in the accident. As an Uber passenger, you deserve proper compensation if you are ever involved in an accident. How do you claim that compensation? It all starts by partnering with the right people.

Do I Need a Lawyer?

Following your Uber accident, you may be at a loss regarding what to do. You may understand that you should receive compensation for what happened, but you may not know how to secure that payout. This is where an expert Uber accident lawyer can come in and provide assistance. The services they provide will help you navigate this ordeal. Learn more about the different ways they can help by continuing below.

Help You Recover Damages: Recovering damages in a car accident can already be quite difficult. Unfortunately, that undertaking may become even harder if Uber is involved. Hire a rideshare accident lawyer so they can tell you the best course of action for your current situation. In addition, they can identify the easiest way for you to recover sufficient damages.

Deal with Uber, Their Insurer, and Their Representatives: In some Uber accident cases, you may need to seek compensation from Uber’s insurer. As you can probably guess, pulling that off will be easier said than done. First, you will need a legal expert to handle the negotiations. Look for an experienced rideshare lawyer in Glastonbury, Hartford, or Simsbury, CT, to ensure that they will properly handle your negotiations with Uber.

Protect Your Rights as a Pedestrian: Uber accidents do not involve drivers and passengers. Pedestrians may also get tangled up in those messy affairs.
If an Uber driver hit you while you were crossing the road, you can seek compensation. Work with a pedestrian accident lawyer to ensure you receive appropriate compensation for your specific case.

What Type of Compensation Can You Expect for Uber Injuries?

After filing your personal injury lawsuit, you may be wondering about the potential payout you may receive. How much will Uber pay to compensate you for what happened?
On average, victims in rideshare accidents can expect a payout in the range of $100,000. However, your compensation may double if you sustained serious injuries.
Let’s discuss potential compensation for Uber accident cases in greater detail to understand what you might get.

• Economic Damages – The compensation you get from Uber should include economic damages. Economic damages will make up for your monetary losses. In addition, they should pay for any medical expenses you have incurred due to the accident. Aside from medical expenses, economic damages will also pay for your damaged property and lost wages.
• Non-Economic Damages – Non-economic damages will make up the rest of your compensation package. These damages will cover your non-monetary losses. If you suffer from mental anguish because of the accident, the non-economic damages should compensate you for that. The same goes for other intangible losses, such as missed opportunities and reduced quality of life.

Understanding Uber Insurance

The addition of Uber to auto insurance dynamics shakes things up quite a bit. Part of the reason you need to hire an Uber accident lawyer is that they can help you sort things out. First, Uber’s insurance is not in play if the driver turns the app off. At that point, only the driver’s personal policy will cover them.

If the driver’s app is active but not booked, they receive coverage by the company’s third-party liability insurance. In that scenario, Uber’s policy provides $50,000 in bodily injury per person, $100,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 in property damage per accident.

Uber’s policy offers $1,000,000 in third-party liability when the driver becomes booked. The policy also includes uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury coverage and/or first-party injury insurance. Your lawyer can identify which specific policy is relevant to your accident.

What You Should Do Following an Uber Accident

The immediate aftermath of any vehicular accident can be scary and disorienting. Due to your confusion, you may end up making a crucial mistake. That mistake could be the reason why you are unable to receive compensation for any injuries you sustained or damages to your property.

Do not let careless mistakes cost you valuable compensation. Heed the tips listed in this section so you can avoid committing potentially costly mistakes.

Inspect Your Body for Injuries

Prioritize your safety if you ever find yourself involved in an Uber accident. Inspect your body for any injuries as soon as you can because you must know if something is seriously wrong. If you feel okay, you can also check on your Uber driver. Ask them if they are injured before proceeding to the next step.

Call for Emergency Responders

Depending on your injuries or the injuries your Uber driver has sustained, you may need to call 911 and request an ambulance. You should still call 911 even if no one is badly injured. In that scenario, call the police and ask them to visit the scene of the accident.

Gather Evidence

Assuming you are feeling well enough to move, you can exit the vehicle and start gathering some evidence. Take pictures of the accident site to present them to the police officers when they arrive. Try to capture the accident from as many angles, so you have a better chance of piecing together what happened.

You should also take this opportunity to speak to any witnesses who saw what happened. They may provide information that will prove useful later on.

Report the Accident to Uber

You should also take a few moments to report what happened to Uber. On their website, open up the Trip Issues and Fare Adjustments menu in the app, then click on “I was in an accident”. You can report details of the accident there.

During this time, you should stick to only reporting that an accident occurred. Do not go into too much detail until you get an Uber accident attorney because you may end up saying something that jeopardizes your lawsuit.

Speak to the Police

The police should be at the scene of the accident at this point. You can speak to them and provide any evidence you gathered. Do not forget to get their contact details because you will need their assistance again.

Head to the Doctor

Going to the doctor is recommended if you are ever involved in an Uber accident.

Some common car accident injuries do not emerge right away. For instance, some concussions may not present obvious signs until days or weeks after the incident. It is a good idea to get checked out by a doctor so you can address potential head or brain injuries right away.

Hire an Expert Legal Representative

After receiving assurance from your doctor that you are okay, you can turn your attention to pursuing compensation. Hire Connecticut lawyers to increase your odds of winning the compensation that is rightfully yours.

Rideshare Lawyers in Connecticut

Reach out to our Hartford County rideshare accident law firm if you need expert legal representation in your Uber accident case. Let us handle the dealings with Uber and their representatives so you can receive appropriate compensation.

Some of the locations in and around Hartford County our Uber and Lyft accident lawyers serve include: Hartford, Simsbury, Glastonbury, New Britain, Bridgeport, Waterbury, Danbury, Norwalk, Manchester, Windsor, Farmington, Windsor Locks, Wethersfield, Rocky Hill, Avon, Bloomfield, Bristol, Enfield, Newington, South Windsor, Southington, Plainville and more.