Anniston

Anniston Uber Accident Lawyer

Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft have completely changed the transportation scenario in many cities such as Anniston, Alabama. However, the rise of rideshare services has also brought along its own unique set of challenges, especially when these vehicles are involved in an accident. What makes accidents involving Uber or Lyft much more complicated is that these companies are not classified as transportation companies like taxi services. You need an experienced Anniston Uber accident lawyer by your side to protect your rights and to help you get the compensation you deserve after a rideshare accident.

Here at Mike Bell Accident & Injury Lawyers, we take pride in helping our clients recover fair compensation for their injuries in rideshare accident cases. We have recovered millions in settlements and verdicts for our clients. Give us a call today at 256-666-6000 to schedule a free consultation with one of our Anniston car accident lawyers.

UBER ACCIDENT STATISTICS

A research study done by Rice University and the University of Chicago has discovered that the introduction of rideshare services have caused an increase in traffic deaths by 2 to 3% since 2011. In short, accidents involving rideshare vehicles might be responsible for up to 1100 fatalities a year. There were 97 fatal crashes involving Uber vehicles between 2017 and 2018 leading to 107 deaths. 21% of these fatalities were the driver whereas 21% of the victims were the riders. 58% of the fatalities were third parties.

WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF UBER AND LYFT ACCIDENTS?

  • Uber or Lyft can be involved in a variety of accidents. Here’s a list of some of the most common types of Uber and Lyft accidents:

INJURY TO PASSENGER – UBER OR LYFT DRIVER

  • Negligent driving by Uber or Lyft drivers may cause an accident leading to injuries to the passenger. If the driver is reckless and drives carelessly, they might run red lights or ignore the speed limits leading to an accident causing injuries such as whiplash to the riders.

THIRD-PARTY INJURY – UBER OR LYFT DRIVER

  • One of the most common causes of car accidents in Anniston, Alabama is speeding. If the driver is distracted, they might cause an accident such as head-on collisions, rear-end collisions, T-bone collisions, or crashing straight into a pedestrian or bicyclist causing them injury.

INJURY TO PASSENGER – ANOTHER UBER DRIVER

  • In some cases, two Uber-affiliated cars might be involved in an accident and one of the drivers could be found to be at fault for the accident. In such accidents, the passengers in the other vehicle might suffer injuries.

PROPERTY DAMAGE – UBER OR LYFT DRIVER

  • Accidents involving Uber might also lead to property damage. In some cases, it might cause significant damage to bicycles, cars, or motorcycles.

INJURY TO DRIVER – OWN NEGLIGENCE

  • In some cases, the vehicle drivers might also suffer injuries as a result of their own negligence. Some of the common injuries include back and neck injuries due to rollover accidents, head-on collisions, or rear-end collisions.

INJURY TO DRIVER – ANOTHER DRIVER

  • In some cases, the drivers might also suffer injuries due to the fault of another driver on the road. In such cases, the driver might be eligible to claim compensation against the negligent driver.

DRIVER AND PASSENGER INJURED – DEFECTIVE VEHICLE PART

  • An accident involving Uber or Lyft drivers and riders might be caused by malfunctioning or defective vehicle parts. It could be due to defective tires, brakes or airbags, or other parts. In such cases, the injured parties have the legal right to seek compensation for their injuries by filing a lawsuit against the manufacturers of these parts.

WHO CAN BE FOUND LIABLE IN AN UBER ACCIDENT?

In accidents involving rideshare vehicles, several parties might be found liable for the accident. In some cases, other road users or other parties might also be found liable. Here’s a list of the parties that might be held liable in an accident involving Uber or Lyft:

THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE

Just like other drivers on the road, Lyft and Uber drivers are also expected to take utmost care while driving. Any negligence leading to an accident might cause injuries to the passengers or they might cause injuries to themselves. The driver might get distracted by the car audio or their phone leading to an accident. In accident cases where the driver is found to be liable for the accident, Uber or the insurance company of the driver might have to pay compensation to victims for their injuries.

RIDESHARE COMPANIES

In addition to the accidents caused by Uber or Lyft drivers, the rideshare companies might also be held liable for certain other issues including assault and battery, sexual assault and rape, kidnapping, driving under the influence as well as robbery. If any of these incidents happen with riders, rideshare companies might be found liable. One of the problems is that sufficient background checks are not conducted before hiring drivers using their apps, and this can lead to the rideshare company being found liable for such incidents.

THIRD PARTIES

In certain cases, third parties might also be found liable for accidents involving Uber or Lyft vehicles. Sometimes, accidents are caused by the negligence of other drivers, bicyclists, or motorcycle riders on the road. If the accident has occurred due to a defective car part, the part manufacturer or the vehicle manufacturer might also be found liable.

WHAT MAKES UBER ACCIDENT CASES DIFFERENT FROM OTHER CAR ACCIDENT CASES?

The rideshare companies stipulate that each driver needs to have personal car insurance covering them in case of an accident. Insurance is also provided by Uber and it covers riders, drivers, or uninsured third parties in case of an accident. Accidents involving Uber are different from regular car accidents as the claims are handled depending on certain situations. Here’s a list of some of the common scenarios likely to happen in case of accidents involving Uber or Lyft:

Scenario 1: If the driver of the vehicle happened to get into an accident before logging into the Uber app, their personal car insurance policy will apply.

Scenario 2: In case the driver logged into the app but is still waiting for a ride, they are covered by Uber’s own insurance coverage that provides coverage of up to $50,000 per individual or up to $100,000 for all injuries and up to $25,000 for property damage. Keep in mind that the Uber insurance policy is secondary. It simply means that the first claim should be filed with the personal car insurance policy of the driver.

Scenario 3: If the driver is logged into the app and accepts a ride request, the policy of the rideshare company applies in case of an accident. The insurance policy provides coverage of up to $1 million for losses due to such accidents. Keep in mind that this policy comes into being only when the at-fault driver is not known or they do not have a car insurance policy or their insurance coverage isn’t enough to pay the compensation for injuries due to the accident. This is why it is often known as uninsured/underinsured insurance coverage by Uber.

$1 MILLION INSURANCE POLICY BY UBER FOR ACCIDENTS

There are many misconceptions associated with the reported $1 million insurance policy by Uber. This policy covers the claims only when the at-fault party is underinsured, uninsured, or not known. Also, this insurance policy applies only when a ride has been accepted by the Uber driver and they were on their way to pick a rider or to drop a rider.

WHAT TYPE OF COMPENSATION CAN I SEEK IN AN UBER ACCIDENT?

Various types of damages can be recovered in Anniston, Alabama in Uber accident cases. These damages can be divided into 2 categories including economic damages as well as non-economic damages.

ECONOMIC DAMAGES

This category of damages includes actual monetary losses incurred by the injured party. These are easy to quantify and typically include lost wages, all medical expenses, loss of future earning capacity as well as property damage.

NON-ECONOMIC DAMAGES

These are intangible in nature and not that easy to quantify. These typically include diminished quality of life, loss of consortium, psychological distress, and pain and suffering, among others. It is important to keep in mind that there is an upper cap of $400,000 for non-economic damages when the injury happened due to medical malpractice.

PUNITIVE DAMAGES

As the name implies, these are designed to punish the party responsible for the accident for their malicious or willful actions.

SHOULD I JUST ACCEPT A SETTLEMENT OFFER?

You should never accept a settlement offer in case you are involved in an Uber accident. Always discuss the details of your case with an experienced Anniston Uber accident lawyer at Mike Bell Accident & Injury Lawyers. Give us a call at 256-666-6000 to schedule a free consultation.

HOW MUCH WILL AN ANNISTON UBER ACCIDENT LAWYER COST?

You do not need to pay anything out of your own pocket. Here at Mike Bell Accident & Injury Lawyers, we work on a contingency fee basis. It simply means that our legal costs are recovered from the settlement or compensation we wait for you. We don’t get paid if we do not win.

ARE THERE TIME LIMITS FOR FILING AN UBER ACCIDENT CLAIM?

Like all other states, Alabama also has a statute of limitations. It sets a time limit for different types of lawsuits. In Uber accident cases, you have up to 2 years from the date of the accident to file a lawsuit.

WHY DO I NEED A LAWYER?

Accidents involving rideshare companies are extremely complicated and this is why you need to hire the services of an experienced Uber accident lawyer to protect your rights and to get the compensation you deserve. Here is a list of the main reasons you should hire the services of a lawyer:

CASE PREPARATION

Our lawyers will help you prepare a watertight case against the at-fault driver. Our team of experts will gather the essential documents such as police reports as well as medical reports and reports from experts in order to prepare a watertight case.

SETTLEMENT NEGOTIATION

Insurance companies are in the business to make money. This is why they try to negotiate the minimum amount. We will negotiate with the insurance company, on your behalf, to help you win maximum compensation for your injuries.

TRIAL PREPARATION & REPRESENTATION

If a reasonable settlement isn’t offered by the insurance company, we are prepared to take the case to trial. Our experienced attorneys will represent you in court and defend your claim. We have extensive experience in court procedures.

SCHEDULE A FREE CONSULTATION WITH AN ANNISTON UBER ACCIDENT LAWYER

Rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft have become common. They offer a lot of conveniences but statistics suggest that the introduction of rideshare companies also leads to an increase in accidents. In case you have suffered injuries in an accident involving Uber or Lyft, you might qualify to receive fair compensation for your injuries.

However, accidents involving Uber or Lyft are extremely complicated as different insurance policies come into play depending on the situation. This is why you need an experienced Uber accident lawyer by your side to help your guide through the claims process and help you win maximum compensation for your losses. Here at Mike Bell Accident & Injury Lawyers, we work on a contingency fee basis which means you don’t need to pay anything. We get paid only if we win compensation for you.

Give us a call today at 256-666-6000 to schedule a free consultation and to know more about your legal options.

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