Partner at Charbonnet Law Firm LLC
Practice Areas: Life Insurance Disputes
Ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft have taken the country by storm, changing how we see transportation. Not surprisingly, these services have become a popular and hassle-free way to travel in Louisiana. Unfortunately, no matter how easy and convenient these rideshare services are, horrific accidents still happen, and devastating injuries still occur.
As a victim of an Uber/ Lyft accident, you may have numerous questions about what you need to do following one of these crashes. Fortunately, in this blog, we will cover these details. Helping you understand how these ridesharing services work, who you can hold liable for the harm you endured, and how an experienced personal injury lawyer can help you.
If you have been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident, the situation can be quite overwhelming for everyone involved. However, it is essential to remember that the actions you take following this accident can not only protect your safety but your legal rights as well. That is why it is crucial to take the following steps if you are ever involved in an Uber/Lyft collision:
After an Uber/ Lyft accident, you need to contact the police immediately. The EMS can quickly get to the scene and provide any emergency medical help necessary, while the police officers can investigate the accident. These officers will take notes about what happened, who was involved, and any other observations and write them down in their police report. If you decide to bring a personal injury claim, this police report can provide you with valuable information.
Even if you do not need immediate medical help following the crash, you still need to get to a doctor to get checked out. Often, an individual can suffer an injury that is not readily apparent but can be quite severe, such as a traumatic brain injury. The longer you wait to get help, the more serious and deadly the injury can become. That is why it is critical to get examined by a physician as quickly as possible. These medical professionals can make sure you do not have one of these serious injuries, provide you with any treatments you need, and also write down details about your injuries in their medical report. This report can be extremely valuable when trying to prove damages, especially if the other side tries to argue that your injuries were from a pre-existing condition or a subsequent event.
If it is safe, make sure you collect as much evidence from the accident scene as you can. Include photographs or videos of your visible injuries, the vehicles involved in the crash, the weather conditions, any traffic signs near the accident, skid marks on the road, or any other details that can show what happened. In addition, try to take notes immediately after the accident and include everything you remember about the accident and the events leading up to this collision.
Get information from all the individuals and motorists involved in the crash, including their name, contact information, driver’s license number, license plate number, and insurance details. Additionally, make sure you jot down the type, color, and model of the vehicles involved and the accident’s location.
If any individuals at the accident scene saw what happened, get their name and contact information. Their statements can be imperative when trying to prove what happened and who was at fault.
Following an Uber/Lyft accident, retaining an experienced personal injury attorney can help settle your claim, fight for maximum compensation, and provide you with the legal assistance you need during this difficult time.
Typically, Uber and Lyft drivers are considered independent contractors. This means that if you are in an accident with one of these vehicles, figuring out who is responsible for your damages can be quite complicated. There are four scenarios that can occur from an Uber or Lyft accident, and depending on the circumstances, different insurance considerations will come into play:
When a driver is not logged into the app, they are not officially working. Meaning that if an accident occurs, the Uber/ Lyft driver’s personal liability insurance will come into play.
Once a driver logs into the ridesharing app, Uber and Lyft will provide their drivers with a Limited Liability Policy to cover whatever the driver’s personal policy does not cover in an accident. In general, this policy covers $100,000 bodily injury per accident, $25,000 property damage per accident, and $50,000 bodily injury per individual.
When the driver has accepted a ride but has not picked up the passenger, Uber and Lyft will provide Third Party Liability and Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorist Coverage. This means that the coverage per accident goes up to $1 million.
This last scenario also has Uber and Lyft providing Uninsured/ Underinsured Motorist Coverage and Third Party Liability Coverage with a $1 million per accident limit.
If you are injured in an Uber/ Lyft accident, you may have several potential liability claims. However, before you can file any claim, you need to figure out who is responsible for the crash. Luckily, when you work with an experienced Louisiana personal injury lawyer, they can help you sort through these claims and recover the compensation you deserve from those responsible. These attorneys can:
If you or a loved one has been injured in an Uber or Lyft accident in Louisiana. Do not stress about dealing with these complex legal claims alone. Instead, contact the Charbonnet Law Firm, LLC today or call our office at (504) 294-5118 and let our lawyers fight for the damages and justice you deserve.
With over 50 years of legal experience serving families in the New Orleans area and surrounding Louisiana communities, our firm takes pride in providing clients with personalized legal services tailored to individual needs.
