Have you been injured in a crash while riding in an Uber? Were you driving or walking on the street when you were hit by an Uber driver? Are you an Uber driver who was crashed into by another driver? In any of those scenarios, you may be eligible for compensation. Whether you were an Uber passenger, driver, or the victim of an accident involving an Uber driver, if another party’s negligence and/or recklessness led to you suffering an injury, you can file for damages. Belal Hamideh, an experienced Uber accident attorney in Los Angeles, and the rest of his team here can help. Se Habla Espanol.
Uber helps so many people to get home safely, to go to work, to travel to where they want to go quickly and affordably. But, unfortunately, these vehicles can be involved in accidents, too. When they occur, like any other accident involving a vehicle, you could be looking at serious injuries, rehabilitation, therapy, surgeries, and more, all while those medical bills add up. To help you receive the maximum compensation, reach out to us to schedule a free case evaluation.
What You Should Do After an Uber Accident
Get Out of Harm’s Way. This is true whether you are driving an Uber, riding in an Uber, or are struck by one. To the extent that you can do so without putting yourself and others at greater risk of injury, get to safety, out of the flow of traffic, away from other vehicles, and so forth. If you can, place road flares/etc, to warn other drivers to be alert.
Assess Injuries. Check if you have any injuries as well as other passengers, drivers, and so forth. Again, do so to the point you can without putting anyone at risk of further harm.
Call 911. Do this no matter what. Even if your assessment found that no one has any injuries, call the police. It’s entirely possible that one or more parties suffered internal injuries, were unaware of their injuries due to being in shock, or something similar. Being checked out by medical care providers as soon as possible is important for many reasons. Additionally, the police report can prove very helpful to your eventual case.
Acquire Contact Info from All Involved Parties. The other driver, other passengers, witnesses, and so forth – get the contact info of anyone you can. In regards to the other drivers, make it a short, cordial conversation. Their name, their license, their contact information, and their insurance. That’s all you need. It doesn’t have to be any more than that. The last thing you want to do is to put yourself at risk of admitting fault or even saying something offhand that could be taken as admitting fault (“sorry,” “didn’t mean to do that,” and so forth).
Collect Evidence. Take pics. Videos, too. Do this as much as you can without putting yourself in further harm’s way. If you’re unsure what to take pictures of, focus on what’s been damaged. Your injuries, injuries to other parties, damage to the vehicles involved, environmental damage, and the like. “Environmental damage” can be skid marks, damage to buildings, trees, etc.
Contact an Experienced Uber Accident Attorney. Once you’ve done all of the above and you’ve been attended to by medical professionals, it’s time to determine if you have a case and do what you must to get the compensation you deserve.
What Uber Drivers Should Do If Someone Hits Them
Remember: Uber’s first priority is not your health, nor is it ensuring that you receive compensation for your injuries. Instead, Uber wants to avoid financial responsibility as much as possible. Additionally, they want you to receive little to no compensation whatsoever.
Follow the steps detailed above for what to do in an Uber accident. Then, reach out to an attorney who has helped many Uber drivers in the same position you are to receive the compensation they deserve.
What You Should Do if an Uber Driver Hits You
Simply, follow all of the steps as laid out on this page. Get to safety, call the cops, get everyone’s information, don’t say you’re sorry, document evidence, and so forth. In the eyes of the law and insurance, a person who was struck by an Uber driver has the same rights as someone who was an Uber passenger in an accident.
To emphasize, we cannot stress enough how important it is to receive medical attention as quickly as you can. You do not want to think that you’re “fine” only to find out months later that you suffered grievous injuries that have not been treated.
Here at Belal Hamideh Law, we work with medical professionals who, like us, are paid on contingency. So, like us, you do not have to pay them for their services out of pocket. Instead, their payment will come out of your eventual compensation.
What Your Uber Accident Claim May Be Worth
Your Uber accident will be unique, as there is no national or even state average amount when it comes to compensation from these accidents. You can file for economic and non-economic damages in the state of California. We will work tirelessly to ensure that you receive the maximum amount of both.
Economic damages cover expenses that you may have which are a direct result of the accident. That includes your medical bills, doctor’s visit, therapy, any surgeries, medicines, home modifications, and more.
If you were unable to work for a period of time, you can receive compensation for lost wages. Additionally, if you have a reduced earning capacity and will be unable to work your job going forward (or work it in the same capacity) you can recover compensation for those wages you would have made as well.
Your economic damages are determined by how severe your accident was, how long it will take you to recover, and so forth.
Non-economic damages, on the other hand, can provide you with compensation for all of your pain and suffering, your trauma, your emotional distress, any loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and more.
You did not ask to be in an accident. We represent our clients as aggressively as possible, always working towards the goal of helping them to receive as much compensation for everything that they have had to go through. Now, we can put that experience to work for you and your case.
Who to Sue After an Uber Accident
During this time, it is not likely that Uber can be sued for an accident successfully. Unfortunately, that is the case whether you are an Uber driver, passenger, or struck by an Uber. Only a few short years ago, Uber was sued by Uber accident victims. The reasoning behind these lawsuits was that Uber hired the drivers, and, since the accident was a result of the driver’s negligence and/or recklessness, Uber was responsible.
Since then, California Assembly Bill 5 passed. That bill said that the drivers were independent contractors and not employees hired by Uber. So, this makes it very unlikely that Uber can be sued successfully.
However, if we take your Uber accident case, we’ll conduct a thorough investigation of your accident. From that, we’ll find all of the parties liable for your accident and bring a lawsuit against them.
The way the law works in California: you, the plaintiff, are owed a duty of care by the defendant. We have a track record of proving that the defendant not only owed you that duty, but they breached that duty through negligent and/or reckless actions, and that breach caused your injury.
That “breach” can take many different forms. It could be that they were driving inattentively, they were driving distracted, they were driving under the influence, they were driving at excessive speeds, or in many other ways.
If other parties are liable for your accident in addition to or other than a driver, we will find them and make a case against them as well. That’s true even if they were just partially responsible.
Even if you’re surrounded by friends and family you care about, when you’ve been in an Uber accident, it’s natural to feel a bit like you’re alone. Belal and the team here can be by your side every step of the way, working towards the most successful outcome for your case.
Uber’s Insurance Policy and How it Relates to You
There are three stages to the Uber insurance policy. They are: “Period 1,” “Period 2,” and “Period 3.” “Offline” occurs between Periods 3 and 1. Regardless of what period you/the Uber driver was in at the time of the accident, know that Uber will do what they can to deny liability and to reduce or eliminate compensation for victims. Belal and the team here can take your case, helping you to receive the maximum compensation for this challenging time.
Offline
The Uber driver’s personal insurance covers the accident if the driver is not logged into Uber at the time of the accident.
Period 1
In this Period, the driver is logged into Uber’s app but hasn’t accepted a ride as of yet. In Period 1, the policy limits are: $100,000 for bodily injury liability coverage per accident, $50,000 of bodily injury liability coverage per person, and $30,000 of property damage liability coverage per accident respectively.
Periods 2 and 3
Period 2: the driver accepts an Uber ride. Period 3: the driver picks up the passenger. In these periods, Uber’s limits are: $1 million in underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage and $1 million in commercial auto insurance, respectively.
The one difference: in Period 2, there’s $50,000 for bodily injury coverage.
When You Should File Your Uber Accident Claim
As soon as possible. Procrastination does you no favors. California law gives you two years from the date of the accident to file a claim. That said, you only have six months if a municipal, federal, or state vehicle was involved in any capacity.
The earlier you reach out to an experienced attorney, the earlier you can receive the compensation that you deserve for your accident. Besides, the other side is already hard at work, investigating your accident and preparing your case. By reaching out to an attorney earlier in the process, you give yourself a greater chance of success.
Belal Hamideh: Winning Uber Accident Attorney in Los Angeles
Over the years, we have a proven track record of taking on those injured in accidents involving Uber and winning for our clients. Our 99% success rate speaks for itself, and we relish the opportunity to help more people to receive the compensation they deserve for having been hurt by another’s actions.
We always work on contingency here. You don’t have to pay unless we win. Then, when we do, your compensation will cover our payment. To schedule a free case evaluation to see how we can help, message us through this site or call us.