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Car accident injuries from a dangerous Uber and Lyft driver can impact your life in a wide variety of ways. If you suffered serious injuries, you may face expensive medical bills and high levels of pain and suffering from the injuries. Permanent injuries and disabilities could also make it impossible to return to work to support yourself and your family. If you or a loved one was injured in an accident involving a negligent Uber or Lyft driver, contact the Queenan Law Firm today to discuss your options for filing a lawsuit to seek compensation.
The Queenan Law Firm’s Fort Worth Uber and Lyft accident injury attorneys represent the victims of accidents involving rideshare drivers. Whether you were injured as a passenger, a driver, a pedestrian, or the driver of another car, our lawyers may be able to take your case and fight to get you the compensation you need for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. For a free legal consultation with our lawyers, call us today at (817) 476-1797.
Suing Uber and Lyft for Car Accidents
If you were involved in a car crash with an Uber or Lyft driver, you typically cannot sue Uber or Lyft directly for the crash. Unfortunately, these companies do not personally employ their drivers. Instead, Uber and Lyft drivers are independent contractors that are hired for rides and paid through these company’s apps. While Uber and Lyft do have limited control over background checks and qualifications for their drivers, they do not typically interview them, employ them, or control their work. However, you can still get payments for injuries through Uber and Lyft’s insurance policies for many accidents.
When you sue for an accident involving an Uber or Lyft driver, you sue the responsible party just as you would in any other car accident. This means that if you were another driver, a biker, or a pedestrian hit by an Uber or Lyft driver, you can sue them for the car accident. It also means that if you were injured as a passenger, you can sue the at-fault driver – whether that was your driver or the driver of the other car. Even if you were an Uber or Lyft driver injured in a crash, you can sue the other driver if they were at fault for the accident.
When you sue for damages in these cases, Uber and Lyft’s insurance policies might step in to cover the damages. Even though these companies do not employ the drivers, they do use their insurance policies to cover them, their riders, and anyone else involved in an accident involving their drivers. For an accident that occurs when the driver is not using the app, the accident is a standard car accident and you sue the driver and their personal insurance. However, when they have the app open and in use, one of two insurance policies should kick in.
If the Uber or Lyft driver is working and has the app open but has not accepted a ride, both companies use a supplementary insurance policy. This covers an additional $50,000 in injuries, per person, rather than relying solely on the driver’s regular insurance.
If the accident takes place between the time that the Uber or Lyft driver accepts a ride and drops off the passenger, each company has a $1 million insurance policy that covers the accident. This means that any time there is a passenger in the car, the passenger should be covered by this policy.
Determining Fault in an Uber or Lyft Accident
As mentioned, an Uber or Lyft accident can occur in many different ways. If you were injured as a passenger, it is almost impossible for you to be at fault for the crash, but you will still need to prove how the accident happened and who was at fault before you can seek compensation.
In most car accident cases, fault is determined by looking at who violated what traffic laws. Traffic laws are designed to protect other people on the road, and violations of these rules often put people at risk. For example, it is common to decide who is at fault in an intersection accident by looking at whether either driver ran a red light or drove through a stop sign illegally.
If no traffic laws were violated, the accident may have occurred because someone failed to use the proper care or skill behind the wheel. Even if there are no traffic laws on point, a driver who failed to take the proper care watching for dangers or other cars can be held liable for an accident if a reasonable driver should have noticed the dangers. Similarly, even if they are driving under the speed limit, an Uber or Lyft driver can be held liable if their driving was too fast for road conditions or too slow that it became an unreasonable danger.
If you were injured as a passenger, either your driver or the driver of the other car will be at fault for the crash. In either case, the Uber or Lyft insurance policy should still cover damages, but proving fault is still required to get compensation in court. If you were injured as a driver in another car or as a pedestrian hit by an Uber or Lyft, you will likely need to prove that the Uber driver or Lyft driver was at fault before you can get compensation.
Call Our Fort Worth Uber and Lyft Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation
Uber and Lyft drivers are responsible for their passengers’ safety. Any errors or mistakes they make behind the wheel could lead to serious accidents and injuries that could alter your life or cause permanent disabilities. For help seeking justice for your injury case, call the Fort Worth Uber and Lyft injury lawyers at the Queenan Law Firm. To set up a free legal consultation on your case, call our attorneys today at (817) 476-1797.