When Should I Contact an Attorney Regarding an Accident as an Uber Driver?
Were you involved in an Uber accident? Are you an Uber driver? If you were involved in an accident as an Uber driver, you might have a number of questions. You might be dealing with injuries, property damage, and unforeseen expenses. However, you could also be facing uncertainties. Will you be able to drive for Uber again? Will Uber reactivate your driver account? Will Uber cover your medical bills? Will Uber repair your vehicle? Most importantly of all, you might have questions about the legal options available to you. Should you contact a lawyer? If so, when should you contact an attorney?
If you are in need of answers for any of the questions listed above, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our firm as soon as possible. Our lawyers are ready to evaluate your situation and provide you with the guidance that you need to proceed. You can trust the Uber accident lawyers at Downtown L.A. Law Group to provide you with the guidance that you need to take action after your Uber accident.
At Downtown L.A. Law Group, our lawyers have many years of experience handling all sorts of claims, including rideshare accident claims. Our Uber accident lawyers have successfully represented countless Uber drivers and recovered millions in compensation. If you are interested in speaking with the experts at our law firm, do not hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience.
About Uber Accidents
Auto accidents, in general, can occur at any time. According to the NHTSA, there were more than 36,000 fatalities associated with auto accidents in 2018. This does not include the hundreds of thousands of injuries resulting from auto accidents. Uber accidents used to be relatively unheard of; however, with the increase of Uber drivers on the road, the instances of Uber-related accidents also increased. Uber drivers, Uber passengers, and unrelated third parties (including pedestrians and other drivers) can be affected by these rideshare accidents.
However, Uber drivers have consistently lost more after accidents. Uber drivers can lose their ability to drive for Uber. Without a doubt, their injuries could make them unable to drive; but it is also possible for their driver accounts to be unfairly deactivated (often permanently) after an Uber accident. It is also possible for Uber to refuse to pay for medical expenses or property damage.
Understanding Uber’s Insurance Coverage
Uber is very open about the insurance coverage that could apply in case of accidents. Specifically, Uber has a one-million-dollar policy. When an accident occurs, the policy either does not apply, partially applies, or applies fully. When an Uber driver is in an accident when he or she is not active on the Uber app, the Uber insurance coverage will not apply. When an Uber driver is in an accident when he or she is active on the Uber app (i.e. logged on and ready to accept a ride), the insurance coverage will only partially apply. More specifically, the driver will be covered with up to $50,000 in liability and up to $25,000 in property damage. If the Uber driver is active on the Uber app and has accepted a ride, the coverage will apply fully. This means that, in case of an accident, the driver will be covered with up to $1,000,000 in liability and underinsured/uninsured driver coverage. What does this mean? Because of this coverage, you could be eligible to recover significant compensation after suffering an Uber accident.
$900,000
$600,000
$1.5 Million
$5.5 Million
$460,000
$1 Million
$750,000
$3 Million
What Should Affected Drivers Do after Uber Accidents?
If you were involved in an Uber accident, there are a number of things that you should do as soon as possible. Some of the steps that affected Uber drivers should follow include:
- Check the condition of the parties involved in the accident
- Contact emergency services if medical care is needed immediately
- Take photos of all physical injuries suffered
- Take photos of all property damage resulting from the accident
- Take photos o the entire scene of the accident
- Contact the local authorities to file an accident report (request a copy of this report)
- Take screenshots of the Uber app to show that you were active at the time of the incident
- Contact Uber support to report the incident (you can do this through the app)
- Gather the insurance information of all parties involved in the accident
- Gather the contact information of all parties involved in the accident
- If witnesses were present, gather their contact information and their testimonies
- Seek medical attention for any injuries that you might have suffered (do not delay medical care, even if you do not believe your injuries are severe)
- Collect relevant medical records
- Collect records of any property damage and estimated costs associated with repairing your vehicle
- Contact an Uber accident lawyer
Do I Need a Lawyer?
One of the points listed above is to contact an Uber accident lawyer; however, do you really need an attorney? The answer to this question will depend on the details surrounding your specific situation. In many cases, the assistance of an attorney is not necessary – Uber’s insurance company will cover all costs and allow you to continue your driving as soon as you are able to do so safely. However, in some cases, Uber is uncooperative; they do not facilitate the claim process and, instead, work against their drivers.
Did your driver account get deactivated after the accident? Deactivation is common after Uber accidents; however, your account should only remain deactivated while Uber investigates the incident (to ensure that the incident was not your fault and that you do not represent a risk to passengers). Unfortunately, Uber can fail to reactivate driver accounts. In fact, Uber could even permanently deactivate accounts. If affected drivers contact Uber with questions, they are often given misleading information or no information whatsoever.
Did Uber refuse to pay your medical costs or your property damage? If your accident occurred within the terms of the insurance coverage (you were active on the Uber app and/or you had accepted a ride request), the costs surrounding your incident should be covered by the insurance company. However, all insurance companies lose money when they pay their claimants; therefore, some insurance companies will often resort to tricks to essentially avoid paying rightful claimants. It is also possible for Uber to not make important information available to the insurance company, resulting in unnecessary delays and even claim denials.
As mentioned above, based on the details surrounding your claim and the specific situation, you could benefit from contacting an Uber accident attorney. The question is when you should contact a lawyer. If Uber is giving you the runaround, failing to communicate with you, failing to guide you in the right direction, you should consider contacting a lawyer. If the Uber insurance representative is being incommunicative, lying to you, giving you false information, failing to respond to your calls, or encouraging you to withdraw your claim, you should contact a lawyer. If Uber deactivates your driver account and does not give you any information on how your Uber driver account could be reactivated/reinstated, you should contact a lawyer.
As soon as there are discrepancies during the claim process or issues with Uber and their representatives, you should contact an experienced Uber accident attorney. Speaking with an attorney will not hurt your situation; doing so will only provide you with the clarification that you might need to proceed.
Contact Our Firm TodayIf you are in need of an Uber accident attorney, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at Downtown L.A. Law Group with the experts at our firm as soon as possible. At Downtown L.A. Law Group, our lawyers are ready to evaluate your claim and provide you with the guidance that you need to recover the compensation that you are owed after your Uber accident. If you are ready to discuss your current situation with the experts at our firm, do not hesitate to seek legal assistance with the experts at our law firm as soon as possible.
At our firm, we offer free consultations and free second opinions, which allow us to provide you with all the information that you need to pursue your claim. Our Uber accident attorneys will be available to answer all your questions and address all your concerns. Our lawyers are ready to guide you towards a successful claim outcome. If you are ready to benefit from our free legal services, contact Downtown L.A. Law Group immediately and request to speak with our Uber accident lawyers.
Our Zero-Fee guarantee ensures that our clients will never be required to pay any upfront legal fees for any of our legal services. This means that you can speak with our lawyers without having to worry about paying anything. Our firm is also based on a strict contingency structure; therefore, our clients will not have to pay any legal expenses until after reaching a successful claim outcome. If you do not win, you will simply not be required to pay anything whatsoever.
If you would like to discuss your Uber accident with the experienced Uber accident lawyers at our firm, contact Downtown L.A. Law Group today.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
The Ultimate Guide To Uber Accidents
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