Using your phone to call an Uber or Lyft car is both cheap and easy. But whenever you get into an automobile, there is always a chance of a car accident. This is especially true if you’re riding on busy and congested city streets with a distracted driver. Uber and Lyft car accidents happen every day. With so many Uber drivers and Lyft drivers cruising city streets, there are bound to be Uber accidents and Lyft accidents. You can be injured in a rideshare accident while being an Uber passenger or Lyft passenger, or you could be hit by a rideshare car. The car crash could be caused by the Uber or Lyft driver or it could have been caused by the negligence of another driver on the road. In either case, you could have a personal injury case.

If you’ve been injured by the negligence of an Uber or Lyft driver or have been injured while in a rideshare car, it can be difficult to know who’s responsible. You could have a lot of questions:

• Who was at fault?
• Which insurance company will cover your injuries, medical bills, and lost wages?
• What if another driver was at fault?
• Do I need to contact my own car insurance even though I was an Uber passenger?
• Where do I get the rideshare company’s insurance information?
• Is the at fault rideshare driver’s insurance responsible?
• What if there’s not enough insurance to cover my damages?

These are all very valid and important questions. The best way to get the right answers is to talk to an experienced rideshare accident attorney who has decades of experience with personal injury law.

Call Rideshare Accident Lawyer Today for Free Consultation

The best and easiest way to get help is to reach out to skilled and knowledgeable car accident attorneys who know how to handle these complex cases.

The personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP have been handling rideshare accident claims for years and can provide the help and support you need to ensure your rights are protected. Contact us to get your questions answered honestly with a free consultation.

Your initial consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer is always FREE and we never take money unless and until we are successful in getting money for you. Call us at 1-800-624-8888 or use our free online case evaluation form.

Uber Lyft Car Accident Data

With over 1.7 million rideshare drivers accepting passengers around our country at any given time, there are bound to be a lot of car accidents and personal injuries victims. The data is not clear as to the exact number of yearly rideshare accidents, but it is in the tens of thousands.

For example, a recent detailed study of Lyft accidents and Uber accidents and other rideshare company accidents in the city of Boston determined that 1 in 4 car crashes in the city involved a rideshare driver. Also, a 2019 study out of the University of Chicago determined that car accident fatalities increase by at least 3% annually when rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft are introduced to a city or community.

It is clear that with increased Lyft accidents and Uber accidents there will be increased rideshare accident cases. If this has happened to you or a family member, you need to understand your legal options and get your questions answered. This is why it’s very important to contact a Lyft accident lawyer or Uber accident lawyer if you are injured while using a rideshare car or you were struck by a car working at the time as an independent contractor for Uber or Lyft.

Common Causes of Uber Accidents and Lyft Accidents

Just like all auto accidents, there are many causes to rideshare vehicle accidents. As mentioned above, with the hectic traffic in most city streets, rideshare accidents are common. Some causes of rideshare accidents include:

• Distracted driving: There are a lot of things to distract drivers in all cities. But add to it that rideshare services use an Uber app or Lyft app to connect drivers and passengers. Also, these apps provide directions to the driver. Often rideshare drivers may use their phones to view the pick-up and drop-off locations for each ride request. While trying to navigate directions, drivers could potentially find themselves distracted and make risky errors while driving.
• Negligent driving: Drivers for Uber and Lyft tend to drive faster than normal drivers because they are independent contractors who get paid based on the number of trips they accept. The incentive is to drive fast and get as many customers as possible. It also forces Uber drivers and Lyft drivers to spend more time driving without taking breaks to rest or sleep. The pressure to complete more trips to make more income, and not being familiar with a location could potentially contribute to the risk of a rideshare crash.
• Vehicle mechanical issues: Most rideshare drivers use their personal vehicles to pick up passengers. If a driver fails to maintain their car, it can result in mechanical issues or maintenance related issues, such as brake failure or worn tires, that could cause a rideshare driver to lose control of their auto and crash.

Regardless of the cause of the crash, if you or a loved one has been seriously injured in an Uber or Lyft motor vehicle you may be entitled to compensation.  Call us at phone number 1-800-624-8888 or use our free online case evaluation form.

What Rideshare Insurance Policy is Responsible?

This is where rideshare accidents get complicated and why you need an experienced Uber or Lyft car accident lawyer to fight for your right to get full and fair compensation for your personal injuries. Depending upon the facts of the accident, there are many potential insurance companies that may be involved and may be responsible for covering your lost wages, medical treatment and medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages. Here are some possible scenarios depending on the facts of the accident:

• Uber insurance or Lyft insurance on the rideshare vehicle
• Liability coverage on the rideshare vehicle purchased by the driver
• Other at-fault auto if they caused the crash
• The accident victim’s personal auto insurance
• Did the accident happen while the app was turned on and the driver was waiting for passengers or was there a passenger in the car?

Some or all of these scenarios may come into play. To make it even more complex, every state has different laws in place about what type of insurance has to be placed on rideshare cars and how much each insurance policy limit has to be. So, the amount for liability insurance coverage for third-party liability or property damage may be different depending upon the state in which the car accident happened.

For example, in New York State and most every other state, the Lyft or Uber driver’s personal vehicle insurance does not cover any injuries that happen while the driver is transporting passengers.

If the driver’s rideshare app is turned on, but there are no passengers yet, Uber and Lyft provide the following minimum motorist coverages for New York State:

• $75,000 for the driver’s liability for bodily injury per person
• $150,000 per covered accident for bodily injury
• $25,000 per accident for property damage for which the rideshare driver is responsible
• $25,000 Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Protection
• Personal Injury Protection (PIP), also known as “No-Fault” Insurance, which is required by state law. ($50,000 per accident Upstate and $200,000 in New York City)

However, when there is a passenger in the vehicle, Uber and Lyft both provide substantial insurance coverage, required by New York law, for you, your passengers, and others who may have been injured in the accident:

• $1,250,000.00 for bodily injuries to you, your passengers, pedestrians, people in other vehicles, and property
• $1,250,000.00 bodily injury coverage for you and your passengers against uninsured/underinsured motorists, and

The potential for excess coverage may also play a factor in the amounts of insurance coverage available to you. Therefore, clearly, these are complicated cases and this is why having experienced legal representation on your side is important. A full investigation of the facts will have to be done. An experienced legal team will be able to get the police report, all of the auto insurance policies and coverages, witness statements, medical records, background checks, and anything else necessary to win full and fair compensation for your serious personal injuries.

Common Uber & Lyft Serious Injury Claims

The following are some of the common Uber or Lyft accident injuries that we see at The Rothenberg Law Firm, LLP. Many of our clients are the victims of multiple injuries that are long lasting or even permanent. Sometimes, rideshare accidents are so severe that it involves a wrongful death. These are the most difficult cases for families and loved ones.

How bad the injuries get and how much treatment is necessary depends upon the severity of the accident, the type of vehicles involved, and how fast the cars were traveling at the time, among other factors.

If you have any of the following conditions or symptoms after a rideshare auto accident, you should go to the emergency department immediately:

• Whiplash neck injuries: Neck injuries are common given how the head and neck can whip back and forth when struck from behind or in front. Whiplash injuries can cause serious damage to the muscles and vertebrae in the neck.
• Chest and rib injuries: These types of injuries can be caused by wearing your seatbelt. This can cause bruising in the areas of the seatbelt.
• Broken bones: Many Uber & Lyft accident victims suffer from broken bones in the hands, arms, ankles, and knees from being banged around inside a vehicle when struck hard.
• Spinal cord injuries: A damaged spinal cord is considered a catastrophic injury because if the nerve bundle is partially severed or completely severed, it can cause paralysis.
• Brain injuries: A serious brain injury is often referred to as a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). TBIs can consist of minor concussions after a blow to the head or something more serious like a fractured skull or damage to the brain tissue. Severe whiplash can also cause damage to brain tissue.

If you have been involved in an auto accident, you should seek medical care even if you don’t believe you’re seriously injured. Many physical symptoms from car accidents don’t appear until hours or even days after a crash. After that, contact a Lyft accident attorney or Uber accident attorney as soon as possible so that your rights are protected.

Free Case Evaluation With an Experienced Uber Lyft Accident Lawyer

Suffering from a serious personal injury while in an Uber or Lyft car can totally and completely change your life and your family’s life forever. The amount of pain and suffering a victim goes through can be so severe that most people don’t understand the extent of the pain someone experiences, let alone the hassle of filing insurance claims and dealing with adjusters.

The personal injury lawyers at The Rothenberg Law Firm, LLP focus our practice on helping clients who have suffered serious and catastrophic injuries in car accidents. We have represented injured victims for 50+ years and we know what it takes to fight for the rights of our clients. We make every necessary resource available when pursuing justice for you, your family, and your loved ones. You don’t have to go through this terrible experience alone.

The smartest thing to do is to get a free consultation with one of our experienced lawyers by calling us today at 1-888-377-7851 or by submitting a free online case evaluation with our contact form.

It’s important to understand that the Statute of Limitations establishes deadlines for filing a Lyft accident or Uber accident lawsuit. That’s why it’s very important to get in touch with our team of personal injury attorneys today to make sure you are fully compensated for your pain and suffering.