Alpharetta Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer
Accidents are complicated enough when they happen between two private drivers, however, when one driver is working for a rideshare company, it can get even more complex. Knowing where to start in pursuing compensation for your injuries can be confusing if you have been in an accident with an Uber or Lyft driver. Were they working when the accident occurred if they did not have passengers in the car but were signed in? Is an Uber driver always the party responsible for the accident? Do they have enough insurance?
Connecting with an Alpharetta Uber and Lyft accident attorney at Spaulding Injury Law to explore your options can help you understand your case, who is liable, and what your maximum compensation might be.
The First Steps to Take After an Accident
Immediately after an accident, your first concern should be with your medical well-being and that of your passengers. After that, it is important to collect the contact information from the other drivers and any witnesses who might be present, so your lawyer can use this information later. Calling the police and requesting that they write a report and take statements is suggested to provide for an official account of the accident.
After that, reaching out to an Alpharetta Uber and Lyft accident attorney is suggested right away, and especially before accepting any settlement offers from insurance companies. An attorney can initiate the settlement process and ensure that your interests are best represented during negotiations.
Some Injuries Take Time to Fully Emerge, so Speak to a Doctor
After your accident, there may be injuries that are in need of immediate attention, and after attending to them, you might stop seeking out medical attention. It is important to pursue a follow-up with your regular physician to check up on your condition after the accident. Some injuries to your back or head may not reveal their symptoms immediately, particularly brain injuries. If you have been in an accident with an Uber or Lyft driver and experienced whiplash in the collision, you may have sustained a neck or back injury.
Temporary soreness is oftentimes normal after a collision accident, but it can also cover up long-term injuries. Changes in behavior, shifts in mental health, and other symptoms can indicate a brain injury, while numbness could indicate nerve damage. Reaching out to a medical professional for assessment, and a personal injury attorney for a legal assessment can best support your physical and financial recovery.
Insurance Coverage in Uber and Lyft Accident Claims
Uber and Lyft drivers must carry their own liability insurance under the law and under corporate rideshare policy. This driver’s insurance policy might come into play if they caused injuries to someone outside the rideshare vehicle – such as someone walking or in another car – when they did not have an active fare. However, these policies often have lower coverage limits, which means that they might not cover all of the past and future losses for serious injuries.
It is important to identify whether there are other sources of compensation, such as the Uber or Lyft companies themselves. When another party in an accident is at fault, and they are working for a company, often the company will be held vicariously responsible for their actions. However, a person who is classified as an independent contractor is not an employee, and their employers are not liable for their actions in most instances.
With Uber and Lyft, there are independent contractor contracts that drivers must sign, and they are not considered employees under the law, despite certain efforts to change this status in several states. Uber and Lyft cannot be held vicariously liable for accidents caused by rideshare drivers, but this does not mean they have no liability whatsoever.
States have enacted laws that require rideshare corporations to have insurance coverage for those injured in Uber and Lyft crashes while the driver has an active ride. This means the corporate policy would apply if a driver had accepted a ride, was on the way to pick up a passenger or had a passenger in the vehicle. In these situations, the corporate coverage should apply to anyone who was injured – not just the rideshare driver or passenger.
It is highly important to know when you can file a claim against the Uber or Lyft policy, as this policy must provide injury coverage up to $1 million. This means you have a much better chance of recovering for all of your losses from serious injuries.
The way in which Uber and Lyft approach accidents can be complicated, which makes navigating the insurance system a challenging process. Working with an experienced Alpharetta Personal Injury attorney is the best way to approach the claim process so you can rest assured that the compensation you are entitled to will be achieved.
Third-Party Liability
Sometimes, the rideshare driver is not to blame for a crash. You could be a passenger in an Uber vehicle when another car slams into you. If the third-party driver was negligent, their insurance should be liable for your losses.
In some cases, you might need to file several insurance claims. For instance, if another driver and the Uber driver shared fault, and you were a rideshare passenger, you might need to file claims against:
- The third-party driver
- The rideshare driver
- The Uber or Lyft corporation
As you can see, it can get complicated quickly. You should focus on your injuries while allowing our team to protect your rights and file your claims.
Damages Possible after an Uber or Lyft Accident and Injuries
When you have been injured in a rideshare accident, your damages are not limited to your car repairs, emergency room bills, and missed shifts at work while you are recovering. Instead, your damages include all of those short-term costs, in addition to all the long-term costs that are associated with your injuries.
Long-Term Costs
The long-term costs associated with your injuries include any ongoing medical treatments, medications, or rehabilitation that you might require. Additionally, you are entitled to damages to cover any changes in your future ability to earn income and support your family.
Intangible Losses
You can also seek compensation for intangible losses, such as pain and suffering. These are not tied to a specific financial loss, so they can be more challenging to calculate and prove.
Accurately and completely measuring what your injuries will cost for the remainder of your life is complex. Your emergency room bills do not explain how your symptoms will continue to affect your life in the long term or what healthcare costs and measures will be necessary to address them. Your lawyer will know how to determine all past and future losses to ensure you demand enough from the insurance company.
When your long-term damages are not accurately calculated, you and your family can be left covering any additional costs. The purpose of being compensated for your injuries is to be put in as close a financial position as possible as though the accident had not happened, and your attorney can ensure your compensation achieves this.
Do Not Accept a Settlement Offer Without Speaking with An Attorney
Uber and Lyft, alongside their drivers, carry insurance policies so that when someone is injured in an accident caused by a rideshare driver, the insurance company covers the costs. This ensures that the driver can work for Uber or Lyft without the worry of losing their automobile and personal assets, while Uber and Lyft can operate their companies without worrying about losing capital from injury-based lawsuits. When it comes time to collect damages for your rideshare accident, you will be collecting them from the insurance company.
The insurance company does not work for you, they work for profits. Like any for-profit company, the insurance company seeks to maximize revenues while minimizing costs. To do so, the insurance company will deny your claim if they can or try to pay out the lowest possible amount as a settlement. The insurance company trains adjusters to convince claimants to accept lowball offers, so you should never accept a settlement without first having a rideshare accident lawyer review it.
Your Alpharetta Uber and Lyft accident attorney from Spaulding Injury Law will accurately measure your damages and hold the insurance company accountable for them in full. We can see when a settlement offer is too low and negotiate for the total compensation that you deserve. If a favorable settlement is not possible, we can escalate your claim to civil court, which often results in a fair pretrial settlement offer.
Connect with Spaulding Injury Law to Discuss Your Uber/Lyft Accident Now
When you have been injured in a car accident with a rideshare vehicle, an experienced Alpharetta Uber and Lyft accident attorney knows how to approach the process to maximize your outcome, while taking care of the paperwork and negotiations for you. Recovering from an accident is difficult and distracting enough, and having an attorney at your back can be invaluable during such stressful times.
Reach out today to schedule a consultation with Spaulding Injury Law to consider your options and determine what damages you are entitled to and the best path to achieving full compensation. Alpharetta Personal Injury Lawyers is located at 44 Milton Ave #132, Alpharetta, GA 30009, United States.
