Maison Law will help you through the claims process if you’re injured in a car accident with an Uber driver in Livermore. An Uber is usually one of the easier ways to get around Livermore. Maybe you’re heading downtown for dinner, meeting friends at Concannon Winery, or getting a ride home after a night out. Most of the time, you get where you’re going without thinking twice about it. But when an accident happens, things can get complicated pretty quickly. We’ll be there to help. Set up a free consultation today.
Why a Lawyer Makes Sense After an Uber Accident
Livermore might not have the traffic of San Francisco or Oakland, but there’s still plenty of things to do around town. That’s why Uber has such a presence here, just like it does in a lot of other cities. But the more Uber drivers there are on the road, the higher the chances that you’ll be hurt in an accident with one—whether you’re riding in the back or driving your own car.
That’s when things change for you. Now you’re dealing with multiple cars, multiple insurance companies, and all the other problems that come from a car accident. So with that, you can see why it makes sense to talk to our team. We can:
- Explain what your options are and what the next steps look like
- Look into how the accident happened and who may be responsible
- Find and preserve evidence that can help support your claim
- Deal with the insurance companies and handle settlement negotiations
- Take your case to court if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement
You shouldn’t have to spend your recovery trying to figure out which insurance company is supposed to pay or what you’re supposed to say to an adjuster. We can deal with that side of things while you focus on getting better. And better yet, we’ll be there to answer your questions along the way.
Where Uber Accidents Can Happen in Livermore
With people traveling throughout Livermore for work, shopping, dining, and wine tasting, Uber drivers are constantly moving around the city. Some are picking up passengers downtown, others are heading to local wineries, and plenty are traveling along the major roads that connect Livermore with the rest of the Tri-Valley.
That means an Uber accident can happen just about anywhere, but some areas naturally see more traffic and potential conflict points than others, including:
- First Street and downtown Livermore, where restaurants, bars, pedestrians, and local traffic bring more people into the area.
- East and West Interstate 580 connections, where heavier traffic, merging, and changing speeds can make accidents more likely.
- Vasco Road, where commuters, turning traffic, and vehicles traveling between Livermore and surrounding communities share the road.
- North Livermore Avenue and the surrounding commercial areas, where shopping trips, business traffic, and busy intersections can create hazards.
- The roads around Livermore’s wineries, where visitors may rely on rideshares to get between tasting rooms and other destinations.
But the fact that an accident happened in one of these areas doesn’t automatically tell you who’s responsible or how much your claim may be worth. That only comes with information.
Information That Can Help You After You’re in an Uber Accident
It might not seem like it, but an Uber accident is still a car accident. A lot of the same information that helps with any other type of collision can work in your favor here too. There are just a few extra things to keep in mind because you were riding with Uber.
- The first thing you should do is call 911 if anyone is seriously hurt or needs emergency help. Get medical attention, and report the accident to Uber through the app when you’re able to do so.
From that point, you’ll be looking for a lot of the same information there at the scene that you would with any other accident, like:
- Pictures/videos of the vehicles, your injuries, the road, traffic signals, and any damage you can see. It’s also a good idea to note any nearby traffic cameras or dashcams.
- Names and contact information of anyone who saw the accident.
- Insurance and contact information from the other driver, as well as the Uber driver
- Screenshots of your Uber trip, including the driver’s profile, pickup and drop-off locations, route, trip receipt, and any messages exchanged through the app.
Some of the most important evidence won’t be available at the scene, though. You’ll also want to keep track of things like:
- The police report
- Your medical records and treatment bills
- Surveillance or dashcam footage
- Emails or letters from the insurance company or Uber
There’s a lot of information that can become important after an Uber accident, and you may not be able to get all of it yourself. That’s okay. Start with what you can, and we can help track down the rest. From there, though, things start to look more familiar.
Who’s Legally Responsible for an Uber Accident?
This is probably the biggest question when you’re hurt in an Uber accident. And the good news is that the basic idea behind figuring out who’s responsible is still the same as any other car accident:
- Someone was negligent, meaning they did something (or failed to do something) that led to the accident and your injuries.
That can mean a few different things, depending on what happened:
- The Uber driver caused the accident
- Another driver caused or did something that led to the accident
- A government agency could be responsible if a dangerous road condition played a role in what happened
- A company that made or sold the car could be responsible if a defective part contributed to the accident
But here’s where things can get a little more complicated. Uber drivers are generally independent contractors, which generally means that their own personal car insurance coverage is what’s in play. However, it also depends on whether they were:
- On an active trip, which can also provide an additional liability policy from Uber itself. They can range up to $1 million in coverage.
- Logged in to the app and waiting for a ride request, which has lower tier liability coverage that goes along with the driver’s own policy.
- Not logged in, meaning the driver’s own policy is the one in effect.
So yes, there are a few extra things to figure out with an Uber accident. At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t change your options or really how a claim plays out.
How to Get Financial Help After You’re Injured in an Uber Accident
An Uber accident can affect a lot more than just your plans for the day. You may end up with medical bills, time away from work, and injuries that continue affecting your life long after the accident itself.
The good news is that being in an Uber doesn’t take away your ability to file an injury claim. The process has a lot in common with any other car accident claim, where you can get financial help by:
- Filing an insurance claim and try to reach a settlement
- Filing a personal injury lawsuit if a fair settlement can’t be reached
And just like other car accident claims, your financial help is going to be made up of your “damages” like:
- Current and future medical expenses
- Lost income and reduced future earning capacity
- Repair or replacement costs for personal property damaged in the accident
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Reduced quality of life
- Wrongful death damages for eligible surviving family members if the accident is fatal
With so many moving parts in an Uber accident claim, it’s usually better to get started sooner rather than later. The details matter, and waiting can make it harder to preserve important evidence or even file a claim at all if you don’t file within two years of the date of the accident.
How Maison Law Can Help After a Livermore Uber Accident
An Uber accident can leave you with a lot to deal with all at once. You may be trying to recover from your injuries while also dealing with medical bills, missed work, insurance companies, and questions about who’s actually responsible.
That’s where we can help. Our Livermore Uber accident lawyers at Maison Law can look into what happened, figure out what insurance coverage may apply, and deal with the insurance companies so you don’t have to handle everything on your own. Set up a free consultation today to get started.
