Maison Law represents people who are hurt in Delano car accidents caused by an Uber driver’s mistake. Our personal injury lawyers aggressively seek compensation for our clients from the Uber driver and their employers. Please contact us for a free, no-obligation consultation for all local injury victims. It’s a no-risk opportunity to find out what your injury may be worth and how to hold insurance companies fully responsible for recovery costs.
Do I Need a Lawyer After an Uber Accident?
If your injuries end up being serious or if you are being blamed for an Uber accident you didn’t cause, you should talk over your options with a skilled Delano Car Accident Lawyer.
When medical costs are high, Uber will fight hard to avoid having to provide full compensation. They’ll have corporate lawyers on the case, all trying to shift blame in an accident or working to downplay your injuries so they can offer you less. Your lawyer is your shield against these heartless tactics. Your Delano Uber Accident Attorney gathers powerful evidence to force insurance companies to provide the maximum in compensation for you and your family.
Uber Accident Dangers in Delano
Delano residents can open up their Uber apps to get about anywhere in Kern County. Yet, just because someone else is driving, it doesn’t mean you are safe from careless drivers. A speeding driver on Highway 99 may ram an Uber car while you’re in the back seat. An impact may leave you with a broken bone, or a neck injury and an insurance company may be liable for any costs needed to get you back to full health.
When unfocused Uber employees take their eyes off the road, they can also cause accidents. These mistakes may occur while you’re on your way to your destination or an Uber car may ram your family SUV.
Uber drivers actually stand a much higher risk of accidents, simply because of their work duties. They are on the clock and Uber expects them to do more than just monitor traffic lights and where they are in the lane.
This is just a brief look at some of the distractions they face during a shift:
- Hoping for a Customer: Uber drivers can have minutes or hours between ride requests. They can be cruising the roads like Cecil Avenue in hopes they’ll be closer to any potential passengers. That’s more time on the road and more chance of causing an accident. To cut down on dead time, they may also work for several rideshare companies at once. This can lead to double the distraction during high traffic times.
- Notification Distraction: Drivers get an audio alert when they get a ride request. It means an immediate glance at their phones to check out the location of the request. They have a limited time to decide if they’ll accept the rider or if the request goes to another Uber employee. All of these decisions and interactions on a cellphone as they may have traveled hundreds of feet without really looking out their windshields.
- Locating the Rider: Even with mapping help from their cellphones, locating a customer can take full attention when streets start to get confusing and passengers aren’t waiting where they said they’d be. While they’re hitting the brakes and weaving while they look for a street sign, Uber drivers can fail to see your brake lights or might even blast through a stop sign.
- Passenger Distraction: Riders can be asking questions or yelling at their drivers, causing an Uber driver to drift into your lane. The driver may also be tempted to speed or drive recklessly to get a passenger to their destination on time.
These are all strong reasons why an Uber driver and Uber could be held accountable for your accident. However, you’ll need proof when seeking support from an auto insurance company or Uber. Your Delano car accident lawyer fully investigates what happened to you and looks into Uber’s business practices to show how it is fully responsible for your physical and financial damages.
Who Can I Hold Responsible After an Uber Accident?
There may be several parties responsible for supporting you while you try to recover. The more at-fault parties you can file claims against, the better chance you’ll have of securing money to pay every medical bill.
The Uber driver, another driver who hit your Uber car, and Uber itself may all be found liable for your injuries. This is a look at how the claims process would work:
- Uber Driver’s Insurance: All Uber drivers are required to carry car insurance. You’ll begin with a claim against their coverage. Insurance companies can refuse to cover a policyholder if it’s discovered they were driving for Uber when an accident occurred. If your claim is rejected or the insurance policy is too small to cover all of your medical expenses, you can move on to file a claim with Uber and their provider.
- Uber Coverage: Uber does maintain up to a million dollars in liability insurance for drivers and their victims. Unfortunately, it’s only available to victims if the driver was logged into the Uber app when the crash happened. Furthermore, the driver must have had a passenger in the car or have been on the way to a pick-up. If they didn’t have a ride request at the time of the accident the maximum insurance payout will be less. Your claim may also be challenged by Uber’s legal team. These lawyers may try to cast doubt on your injuries and your account of the accident to save money for their company.
- Your Car Insurance: If nothing else works, you can file a claim against your own insurance provider targeting your uninsured/underinsured motorist protection.
In cases where Uber denies all responsibility and rejects your injury claim, your lawyer will have evidence ready to file a lawsuit and take Uber to court. Your lawyer can also look into Uber’s hiring practices, the training or lack of training they provide to employees, and their work policies that might lead to unsafe driving.
If Uber didn’t do a proper background check before hiring a driver with an unsafe record, they are even more likely to have to provide full compensation to you and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to file a claim against Uber?
A victim in an accident in California generally has up to two years after an accident to file a claim for damages against at-fault drivers and the company they drive for.
What if I can’t afford an Uber Accident Lawyer?
Residents in Delano don’t need any upfront money to hire a Maison Law attorney. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you. Then our fee comes out of the settlement Uber must provide.
What kind of things can be compensated after an Uber accident?
All of your hospital bills now and those expected in the future can earn settlement money. The physical pain and emotional trauma you endure must be compensated. The income you’ve lost while missing work and many other factors will contribute to your Uber settlement check.
Can my family seek support if a loved one is killed in an Uber accident?
Yes. California allows families to file wrongful death claims when an Uber driver’s mistake causes the tragic loss of life. A Delano wrongful death lawyer can help families seek support to pay leftover medical bills and all burial costs. Families should also earn support for the guidance and income the deceased can no longer provide in the future.
Contact a Delano Uber Accident Lawyer Today
If you have been injured in an accident involving an Uber driver, you should call our Delano car accident lawyers at Maison Law immediately. It can be difficult to deal with a complex Uber accident and gain a better understanding of the many laws that apply to these claims. On top of this, there could be many parties liable for an accident. We will gather all evidence available in your accident and provide you with the resources that you need to successfully move forward with a case. Please contact us today for a free and no-obligation consultation.
