Los Angeles Uber Accident Lawyer
Los Angeles has lots to see and do, but getting around such a big place can be challenging. Rather than drive in gridlock and face crazy motorists, many choose to open up an app and schedule a rideshare.
That call often goes out to an Uber driver. Those pick-ups are handy, but there are also a lot of Uber cars on the road adding to already busy traffic levels. What’s more, Uber drivers may be paying more attention to their phones or a passenger than the white and yellow lines ahead.
This combination of constant travel and distraction leads to accidents. You might be hit by an Uber employee and suffer a serious injury. Your first thought is to your wellbeing, but your thoughts may soon turn to your chances of getting financial support for recovery from the driver or the driver’s employer.
A Free Consultation on Your Uber Accident Case
After a serious accident on the freeway or on a busy street like Westwood Boulevard, you may not know where to turn. If an Uber driver is involved, should you file an insurance claim against the driver or Uber? Or both?
You never have to sit and wonder about your case when you can take advantage of a free case evaluation provided by Maison Law. There’s no risk in scheduling this no-obligation consultation with a California legal professional.
Before talking to any insurance company for a driver or for Uber, find out about all the benefits they won’t be telling you about. We would love to represent your case, but if we can’t help you, we still want to make sure you know your rights after an accident.
Uber Accident Dangers in Los Angeles
Uber drivers are generally safe, cautious motorists, but distracted driving can turn anyone into a dangerous threat to you and your family. The fact is, rideshare employees can’t do their jobs without looking at their phones and those glances are usually taken while rolling down a road.
Distracted driving leads to serious accidents every day in California and Uber workers have to engage in a certain amount of distraction in order to find passengers and just to get paid. The cell phone is their unofficial coworker every day and that can leave Uber cars veering out of their proper lanes and into yours.
These are just a few of the reasons Uber employees become distracted and turn into dangerous drivers:
- Notification Alert: The Uber driver’s cellphone actually calls for the worker’s attention many times a day. When a passenger requests a ride an alert goes out to a nearby rideshare worker. The driver must check out the notification and decide if they’ll accept it. This is all while they may be cruising down the road at 50 mph. This is quite a distance traveled while not looking at the road.
- Locating the Rider: The Uber app provides GPS guidance, but as we’ve all learned, GPS doesn’t always give the best directions. Driving in unfamiliar territory might leave rideshare motorists looking at street signs, slowing down, veering across lanes, and missing red lights. This inattention is a threat to you if you’re on foot, on a bike, or sharing the road.
- Reckless for Passengers: Uber employees can feel pressure to get passengers to their destinations on time. They may speed or make reckless moves in Los Angeles traffic to get a better rating or a better tip. Passengers may also be chatty or argumentative and create a distraction for a driver trying to concentrate.
- Working for Lyft too – Drivers may nearly double their distractions by working for two rideshares at once. Many Uber drivers also keep a Lyft app open to have a better chance at scoring customers. This just adds to the diversions, drawing the driver’s attention away from the cars ahead and beside them.
Calling on Uber for Support After an Accident
You or a family member may be hurt in a collision caused by a careless Uber driver. You may face a stack of hospital bills all while missing out on valuable paychecks at work. It’s a difficult situation for anyone also trying to physically heal from an accident.
When considering where to turn for financial support, the path will get confusing when a major corporation like Uber is involved. Victims may seek compensation, but getting the driver or Uber to take responsibility could prove frustrating.
Generally, there are three options for victims seeking compensation after an Uber-involved accident.
- Uber Driver’s Insurance: Uber drivers are required to carry auto insurance. However, insurance companies don’t always provide coverage when they find out their policyholder is driving for a company. You can file a claim, but the driver’s insurance may reject it. The insurance coverage limits on the driver’s policy may also be inadequate to cover all of the medical costs you have before you.
- Uber Coverage: If you are rejected by the driver’s provider or you don’t receive enough in compensation, you are allowed to file a claim with Uber’s insurance provider. Uber carries a million-dollar policy, but it only applies in certain circumstances. Their employee who caused the crash must have been on the way to pick up a passenger or had a passenger in the car. This is when the million dollars in coverage can be called upon by all victims. When a driver is cruising while waiting to get a ride notification and causes an accident, the support for victims is considerably less. In either case, Uber will have a team of corporate lawyers challenging the facts of your case and seeking to avoid taking the blame for your accident.
- Your Car Insurance: If you can’t convince the driver’s insurance company or Uber to provide help, you can file a claim against your personal insurance provider. This claim calls upon your uninsured/underinsured motorist protection. Your own insurance adjuster will still work to reduce the amount of financial support you receive.
In every case above, it’s vital to have your own legal counsel working on your behalf. A personal injury lawyer blocks all attempts by insurance adjusters and Uber to shift blame to you after an accident. Your lawyer would also battle insurance adjusters and lawyers until they provide what’s fair for what you’ve been through.
Contact a Los Angeles Uber Accident Lawyer
Whether you’ve been hurt as an Uber passenger, a motorist hit by an Uber car, or a pedestrian or cyclist struck, don’t battle insurance companies on your own. You deserve the compensation to pay for the best medical care and to get caught up on monthly bills after being out of work.
Contact attorney Martin Gasparian, the founder of Maison Law, for a free and confidential case evaluation. Find out about the benefits available to you and your family before an insurance representative tries to convince you otherwise.
You may feel helpless against a large company like Uber, but you can allow a Los Angeles Attorney to turn the tables and make those responsible for your injury do the worrying.
