UBER PASSENGER CAR ACCIDENTS
Uber and Lyft are the dominant modes of transportation in the DC area when you do not have a car. While Metro buses, and the train can get you in and out of town, if you need to get around the cities, you just hop on the app. Most Uber drivers do a phenomenal job of moving people around without incident. But every now and again, one of these Uber vehicles gets involved in a car accident that causes injuries. If you have been injured as an Uber passenger, you have the right to pursue a claim against the person whose negligence caused those injuries. Contact an experienced Uber Passenger car accident lawyer right away.
After An Uber Car Accident
Most passengers in Ubers who are involved in accidents, simply call another Uber and continue on to their destination. If you have been in an accident as an Uber passenger, alot of things will be going through your mind. We understand that you might be in a rush, but when you do that, you sometimes abandon important information that will help us later onto investigate and prove your claim.
There are some important steps that you should take:
At the scene - Before you leave the scene, make sure that you get the contact information for your Uber driver. The phone number that they called you on when they were trying to find you before the pickup, is not that driver's actual number. It is an auto dialer number. You need to get that driver's name and phone number, as well as email and address, and a picture of his drivers' license. As a person involved in an accident, you are entitled to this information. It is doubly important to get this information because if the police are not called, Uber and Lyft will very rarely give this information out willingly.
Cameras - Many Uber drivers have cameras in their vehicles. This footage is vital to determining who is at fault: the Uber driver, or the other driver. This is another reason that we need to have your Uber driver's contact information - most dash cams do not back up to the cloud, but rather contain a small amount of internal storage. We have to get that footage before it is overwritten. Here again, the insurance companies for Uber and Lyft drag their feet, and can take too long to investigate this footage, if they do it at all.
Pictures - Take all of the pictures that you can! You need pictures of the Uber vehicle, you need pictures of the other vehicle (or vehicles, if more than two were involved), and you need pictures of the area or the accident happened. Documenting the accident is extremely important, because this documentation forms the bedrock of the evidence we are going to use to prove your case.
Identify All Drivers - Make sure that you identify the driver who are involved in the accident, from your driver, to the driver of the other car, or cars. Far too often Uber passengers who are in car accidents come to us with the information for the car that caused the accident. This is not enough. We have to prove the negligence of the at-fault driver, not the car he is driving. The easiest way to accomplish this is to get a picture of that persons driver's license. Sometimes, no one calls the police, meaning there is no police report to get this information later.
Is Uber responsible because I was a passenger?
Not automatically. Just because you are involved in a car accident in an Uber, does not mean that Uber is responsible. If the Uber driver caused the accident, then your claim is against the Uber driver, and Uber itself. If the car accident happened due to the negligence of another driver, then that driver is the one who is responsible, and your claim proceeds against that drive. Alternately, if both drivers, the other driver and the Uber driver, are equally or both partly responsible for the accident, we will help you file a claim against both!
What does my claim entail?
If you have been injured as a passenger in an Uber car accident, you have a right to claim your damages. This is a complicated process that involves 1) investigating the facts of the accident, 2) investigating the parties involved in the accident, 3) determining who was at fault for the accident, and 4) investigating your damages, to see what can be claimed against the responsible party, through their insurance company.
Damages is a legal term that includes:
Pain and suffering
Medical expenses
Lost wages
Permanent injury
Loss of earning capacity
Scarring
Disfigurement
and more
When should I call a lawyer?
You need to call an Uber Passenger Car Accident Lawyer right away after having been injured and an Uber car accident. There are a lot of deadlines that begin to run, and the sooner we can properly begin investigating your case, the sooner we can protect and preserve the evidence that we will need to ultimately be successful. The insurance companies set their teams to work immediately, and so should you. Let our team investigate your claim and maximize your case. Get Justice with Joe - call Blaszkow Legal today for a free consultation: 703-879-5910