Injured in an Uber accident? Our experienced Uber accident lawyers fight to secure maximum compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation!
Table of Contents:
Table of Contents:
Knowing what to do after an Uber accident isn’t always straightforward, but finding an experienced Uber accident lawyer who can fight for you should be among the first steps. You need a professional attorney by your side who can stand up for your interests, including protecting you against the opposing party’s lawyers who will try to minimize the amount the at-fault party pays.
Pathway Injury Lawyers is a specialist law firm that can assist victims in situations like yours. We have expertise in Uber accident claims and understand the legal dynamics in detail, allowing us to help injured people like you get justice. As a reputable company in the industry, we’re known for delivering high payouts to victims, ensuring you receive the compensation you deserve from the opposing party’s insurance.
When working with an Uber accident lawyer, you can trust our team to take care of everything for you. Attorneys deal with medical bills, lost wages and other factors that could contribute to the cost of your recovery. Teams ensure you receive what’s owed to you.
Being involved in an Uber accident can leave you feeling dazed and confused. During the minutes, hours, and days that follow a collision, you don’t always know what to do next.
Fortunately, this section can help. It covers the actions you should take (if possible) so you can increase the likelihood of benefiting from a just settlement or compensation with the help of an Uber accident lawyer.
Ensure you follow these steps carefully. Getting the sequence wrong or forgetting certain parts could jeopardize your case or reduce the compensation you could obtain.
Start by checking your safety and ensuring you and others involved are okay. Check your body up and down for obvious bleeding, lacerations, or broken bones. Then, check on the driver, other passengers, and pedestrians near the vehicle.
Unfortunately, some Uber accidents result in severe injury, and you may need to wait a few minutes for professional help to arrive. Call 911 if you can, or instruct witnesses to do so on your behalf. Move to a safe area to avoid traffic and further injury if possible.
You should seek medical attention as soon as you can after an Uber accident. Documenting injuries is essential for any compensation claims you later make with an Uber accident lawyer. Your injuries may be severe and require immediate treatment to stop them from becoming long-term disabilities or life-threatening.
Even if you don’t feel obvious pain, get paramedics, first responders, and ambulance crews to check on you. Sometimes, adrenaline in your system acts as a pain-killer, preventing you from experiencing the full extent of your injuries.
During your examination, ensure the medical professional records your injuries and symptoms. This documentation is essential for any compensation claims you later make.
Next, talk to emergency service professionals and file various reports. Speak to the police about what happened, giving them information about what happened in as much detail as possible.
These reports fall under “contemporaneous evidence” and can be valuable in court. The more information you provide, the more insurers and courts can build a clear picture of what happened on the day.
Don’t say things like “I’m sorry” at the accident scene or in communications with third parties (and their insurers). Courts may construe this as admitting fault.
After speaking with emergency professionals, document the scene. Take images of any vehicles involved, the road condition, the impact site, and visible injuries (as these can contribute to your medical report). Write down your observations on your phone or in a notebook.
If the accident is serious and the driver is incapacitated, the police will collect their name, license plate number, contact information, address, and other personal details from the hospital. However, you may want to collect these in minor accidents, especially if the driver wants to leave the scene. This evidence is critical when presenting your case to an Uber accident lawyer.
Make sure you collect any witness information while doing this. Bystanders who saw the accident can sometimes help determine what happened (if the case goes to court).
Next, open your Uber app and tell the platform what happened. You can do this in the “Trip Issues and Refunds” menu segment. Providing accurate information will streamline the claims process for your Uber accident lawyer.
Sometimes, Uber’s insurance will cover the cost of the accident. However, insurers may try to limit payouts.
Uber’s system is usually quite efficient since the ridesharing app has to deal with many incidents annually. Often, it follows a strict protocol given its understanding of the circumstances. However, it may not apply in your specific situation.
Next, talk to your auto insurance company and tell them what happened. Provide them with the police report, even if you weren’t driving.
Usually, they will ask you questions about the accident. Provide them with details that don’t contradict the police report.
Normally, Uber drivers will not blame you for the accident. However, they may still try to involve your insurer by making a counterclaim (suggesting perhaps that you were the cause of the crash).
Finally, speak to an Uber accident attorney once you have sufficient information and no longer require medical attention. Provide them with all the information you have so they can determine likely liability.
Your attorney will negotiate with insurers on your behalf once following your instructions. Sometimes, you will receive a payout from Uber, the driver’s policy, or a combination depending on the circumstances. However, the precise details usually emerge further into the case.
An Uber injury lawyer can help you in numerous ways to ensure you get the compensation you deserve after a crash. Lawyers evaluate your case to determine whether you can make a claim, documenting who was involved, their insurance companies, and their actions after the event. Sometimes, you are the only victim but many accidents can also include other road users, including pedestrians and motorcyclists.
Uber accident lawyers then handle complex insurance claims on your behalf. Attorneys look at whether they can apply Uber’s insurance policies to your case or if they need to go beyond standard restitution. Often, insurance companies try to reduce payouts (to maintain their margins). As such, lawyers become your advocates, ensuring they pay for everything you deserve.
Following this step comes evidence collection. Lawyers go through police reports and other documents with a fine-toothed comb, looking for any data that can build a case. Your photographs and testimony of the accident scene are critical at this juncture. This information can help prove your physical injuries, emotional distress, property damage, and lost wages.
Most insurers will settle out of court, meaning they will pay you the compensation you deserve without the case going to trial. However, some insurance companies can be stubborn if they feel evidence of fault is unclear. When these situations arise, an Uber attorney is vital, representing you in court and allowing you to put your best foot forward.
During negotiations, our lawyers will seek the maximum compensation for your injuries and other losses. As such, you will benefit from the greatest amount allowed by law, all covered by the opposing party’s insurance. The overarching goal of this effort is to be fair to you. Courts recognize that the cost of an Uber accident usually goes beyond medical bills, so we keep a record of the total harm done to you and use this to argue for specific compensation amounts.
Critically, our Uber attorneys reduce the risk of undervaluation – the tendency of conventional settlements to give low offers. We work with courts, Uber, third-party insurance companies, and others to determine a fair figure that reflects your true losses.
Whenever you are involved in a personal injury case, including an Uber accident, working with a team that understands your situation is critical. Going to a conventional lawyer lacking experience in this area isn’t advisable as they may not understand the process or the extent of the compensation you could get. Furthermore, their terms of service or the level of support they offer might be sub-par.
Overall, we’re trusted by our clients and praised by those who use us for our responsiveness, efficiency, and stellar results. As a company, we’re dedicated to client success, offering multi-lingual support and trial-tested litigation expertise.
While working with us, you will discover our transparent, step-by-step approach. We clearly communicate throughout the legal process, telling you where we are with your case, and what’s likely to happen next. Ultimately, our goal is to deliver a satisfactory settlement that covers your losses but we can also recommend going to court if we feel it would be in your financial interest.
If you can’t visit our offices, don’t worry–we can come to you. Our team can meet you at your home or a location of your choice to discuss your case and next steps.
Uber accidents may cause numerous injuries varying in severity from minor to life-changing. Third-party insurance companies and courts will consider these when deciding on your case. Usually, the worse the injury, the higher the compensation you will receive.
Debilitation–the degree to which injuries prevent you from enjoying your life as normal–matters. The less able you are to return to normal, the higher the payout you will likely receive.
Internal injuries aren’t usually visible after accidents, but they can still cause serious harm. Bleeding and damage to internal organs may require several months of recovery.
Uber passengers and pedestrians often receive injuries to their kidneys, spleens, livers, or stomachs. However, any organ can potentially suffer harm, depending on the force and direction of the impact.
Facial injuries are severe because they are so conspicuous, and disfiguration can be permanent. Unfortunately, these injuries affect many Uber accident victims due to flying glass and impact with airbags. Dental damage is also possible, including broken teeth, missing dentition, and jaw misalignments.
Back and spinal cord injuries are serious and carry the highest compensation because of their life-long implications. For example, you may require around-the-clock care to continue living independently after damaging your vertebrae.
Sometimes, medical professionals can correct injuries to the spinal cord. However, damage can also become chronic, with the body unable to recover, regardless of the length of the recovery period.
Head and traumatic brain injuries (TBI) result from impacts with dashboards, windows, and the rear of front seats. Damage can range from concussion (a form of mild impairment) to full-blown swelling inside the cranial cavity. Unfortunately, some TBIs can cause permanent loss of cognitive capacities and lower IQ.
Whiplash occurs when jolting impacts (often on seatbelts) damage tissues in the back, neck, and arms. When the body experiences high G-forces, it can pull and tug on the musculature in unusual ways, leading to persistent pain and swelling. Some victims may also experience limited mobility or have to give up work for a while, though symptoms do improve over time in most cases.
Soft tissue injuries occur in ligaments, muscles, and tendon damage. Here, the force of the impact in an Uber crash exceeds what the body can tolerate, leading to functional loss.
These issues are highly amenable to repair, so most patients recover. However, rehabilitation processes often take more than six months, reducing the ability to work.
Broken bones are common after Uber accidents. The force from vehicles or crumple zones can break ribs, pelvis, legs, and arms.
Again, most patients recover from broken bones after treatment with casts and surgery. However, ongoing physical therapy may become necessary, and some individuals may experience chronic pain due to these injuries.
Finally, cuts, bruises, and lacerations are injuries that Uber accident lawyers often encounter. While these may not seem as serious as the others discussed so far, they still qualify for compensation.
This list of injuries highlights the necessity of seeking medical treatment immediately. Some concerns, like internal bleeding or concussion, may not be obvious immediately and only come to medical professionals’ attention during a thorough physical examination. It is critical that professionals note these close to the time of the accident to reduce the ability to claim that they occurred later for other reasons.
So, what compensation could you get after an Uber accident?
Ultimately, it depends on your circumstances and injuries. High payouts are possible, particularly when you work with top attorneys. But it depends on the skill of your lawyers. Your Uber accident lawyer will help you pursue compensation for:
Most claimants receive compensation for medical expenses incurred following an Uber crash. For example, you could obtain a payout for the costs incurred during your hospital stay after the accident.
Medical expenses often comprise the bulk of compensation (because of the inherent costs in the medical system).
You could also claim compensation for lost wages if you couldn’t work after the accident. This extra money ensures you are no worse off financially than if you hadn’t been involved in the accident.
Uber car accident attorneys will explore your prior remuneration to see your expected income and use that when approaching insurance firms. Compensation may include your hourly rate, salary, bonuses, and commissions.
Be sure to provide your attorney with an accurate list of your compensation sources. The more data you can provide, the more your lawyer can negotiate a fair settlement.
Earning capacity loss is another item compensation covers. It goes beyond your immediate lost wages and accounts for how your injuries could prevent you from earning a living in years to come.
Compensation paid due to loss of earning capacity can be substantial. Permanent disabilities could deny you hundreds of thousands (or millions) of dollars in lost income.
Uber offers varying levels of insurance depending on the ride phase and driver’s liability. The ridesharing platform will pay out if the driver’s app is on. However, it will revert to their third-party insurer if it is off.
If the app is on and the driver is waiting for a ride request, Uber offers so-called “contingent cover.” Payouts are fixed (i.e. $25,000 per accident). If the driver is en route to collect a passenger, the cover is more extensive. Policyholders benefit from up to $1 million in third-party liability coverage and cover for underinsured or uninsured motorcyclists.
As a rule, Uber’s coverage only applies if the driver’s insurance doesn’t cover the incident. As such, lawyers usually negotiate with non-Uber third-party insurers. These may offer substantially more coverage than Uber, allowing for larger claims.
Legal representation is critical because it helps you challenge lowball offers. It also helps you understand which coverage applies in your situation, depending on the “driver phase” (whether they are going to collect you, have the app turned on, or if you are already in the vehicle). In short, An experienced Uber accident lawyer will determine how Uber’s insurance policies apply to your case, depending on the ride phase and driver’s liability.
If you’ve been injured in an Uber accident, speak to an attorney at Pathway Injury Lawyers today. Our team can help you determine whether you should take your case forward.
Don’t worry: we’re a no-win, no-fee personal injury Uber accident law firm. When you come to us, you get a free consultation to learn more about your case and how we can help.
Speak to us today to learn more and start your case.
Q: How can an Uber lawyer help me?
An Uber accident lawyer helps you gather evidence, deal with insurance companies, and fight for maximum compensation after your rideshare accident.
Q: Should I get a lawyer after an Uber accident?
You should always hire a qualified legal professional who specializes in ridesharing cases after an Uber accident, especially if you have serious injuries or the other party is challenging your claim.
Q: What areas does Pathway Law service?
Pathway Law serves clients across California, Texas, and beyond. You can enjoy a free consultation at our offices, or we can come to you, whether you’re at home or in hospital.
Q: What should I do if I’ve been involved in an Uber accident?
If you’ve been involved in an Uber accident, seek medical attention and ensure healthcare professionals document any injuries. Next, consider contacting an experienced personal injury lawyer, like us, to take your case forward.
Q: How much compensation can I get after an Uber accident?
How much compensation you receive is a decision made in settlement or by the courts. Usually, you will get more if your injuries are severe, you can’t work, or the Uber driver (or another third-party) acted negligently or criminally.
Q: What types of injuries can I get compensation for?
You can get compensation for multiple injury types, including whiplash, brain injuries, lacerations, broken bones, spinal injuries, facial injuries, internal injuries, and more. Courts may also recognize psychological or emotional injuries in some cases.
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