Los Angeles Uber and Lyft Car Accident Lawyers
Know your rights and the benefits you’re entitled to if you ever become involved in an Uber or Lyft car accident. LA Car Accident Lawyers will help you file for insurance claims and compensation from the responsible party. Our Uber and Lyft car accident attorneys in Los Angeles will also represent you in court should you decide to spearhead a class action lawsuit along with other victims.
Rideshare: Convenience at a Risk
The prominence of the rideshare apps Uber and Lyft are undeniable. They have over 3 million and 1.4 million active drivers, respectively, and provide rides for 23 to 75 million passengers in the country.
The convenience of riding a comfortable, well-kept private vehicle at generally lower fares is attractive. You might even be a habitual rideshare customer. If this is true, then you need to know what to do and what you can demand if you get into a vehicular accident with an Uber or Lyft car.
What Should You Do First?
Your actions immediately after an accident will have an impact on the damages you can claim later on. Victims of car accidents involving Uber and Lyft vehicles could be:
- The Uber or Lyft drivers and their passengers
- Third-party drivers and their passengers
- Bystanders and pedestrians struck during the collision
The first thing you need to do is assess yourself for injuries. Then, check on your passengers if you are the driver, and vice versa. If possible, step out of and away from the damaged vehicles; stay at a safe distance. If there’s no police officer in the vicinity, call 911 and request medical and police personnel for help.
The next step is crucial: call a personal injury attorney in California with a focus on the area of Uber and Lyft car accidents. The faster you can make that call, the better.
Personal Injury Attorneys in Los Angeles: What We Do
As a trusted personal injury law firm with a specialty in rideshare accident cases, LA Car Accident Lawyers is committed to helping clients get their just compensation. We also aggressively represent you in court, should you decide to take things down that road. We have experience in dealing with insurance companies and getting them to recognize qualified claims from car accident victims. We gather data, evidence, and handle claims and settlements on your behalf.
- Medical expenses, including rehabilitation and life care
- Lost wages (e.g., having to stay confined in the hospital)
- Impairment or disability which limits your capacity to make a living
- Property damage
- Insurance bad faith
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
- Wrongful death
On Benefits and Claims
California has a Comparative Negligence Rule regarding motor vehicle accidents. This means that authorities will determine the degree of fault of each driver involved. Injured parties can then file a claim from the insurance policies of the drivers responsible for the accident. The maximum amount victims can get will be relative to a driver’s degree of fault.
For instance, if an Uber driver overshot a red light and is deemed to be 100 percent at fault, his or her insurance will carry 100 percent of the victims’ claims.
Uber and Lyft carry third-party liability insurance which provides up to $1 million coverage for personal injuries and property damage per accident. You may file a claim on the companies’ insurances under certain conditions:
- The driver was using the app and driving for profit during the accident
- The driver is the main party at fault
Despite meeting these requirements, however, filing a claim on their third-party liability insurance will be challenging.
Uber and Lyft have long maintained that their drivers are independent contractors. The companies are not, therefore, liable for their drivers’ negligence. This means that injured passengers must first file a claim on the driver’s insurance; and once its provisions have been exhausted, only then can they approach Uber or Lyft for compensation.
In light of these difficulties, victims of Uber and Lyft car accidents must hire experienced personal injury lawyers like us who know how to approach compensation claims concerning Uber and Lyft drivers. These aren’t the easiest cases to handle, but LA Car Accident Lawyers is ready to rise to the occasion.
Contact us to schedule a FREE consultation.
