You Were Injured While Riding in an Uber/Lyft, now what? Call Us Today!
Lyft and Uber have radically changed the private transportation industry by making it easier for people to get from one place to another. Rideshare drivers can be ordered through an app with the expectation that they will arrive within minutes of the request. Uber and Lyft have been able to achieve this efficiency and effectiveness through a business model that allows ordinary drivers to offer their services to commuters. Rideshare drivers do not undergo any special training. Nor are they required to have any particular qualifications aside from a driver’s license. This has opened up the pool of available drivers, but it has also increased the risk that more than a few of them will be unfit to be on the road.
Car accidents involving Uber and Lyft drivers have increased significantly over the last decade. It is no coincidence that the rise in these kinds of crashes has tracked the growth and expansion of the industry. If you were a passenger injured in an accident involving a rideshare driver, then you can claim damages. You will need to hire a Los Angeles injury attorney to represent your interests, and build a case for compensation based on your physical and emotional damages.
It Is Possible to Put a Value on Your Injuries
One of the most popularly held but misguided beliefs is that it is impossible to attach a value to the loss and pain that result from an accident. On the contrary, this is exactly what tort law is all about. This field of law enables people who have suffered material injury to claim damages from the person or persons who caused it. If you were injured while riding in a rideshare vehicle, a Los Angeles personal injury attorney can help you hold the rideshare company accountable.
Coming Back from a Serious Injury
If the collision caused only minor injuries, you may need to take a brief trip to the hospital and you may be inconvenienced but the matter will be more easily settled with the rideshare company. Things get a bit more complex with serious accidents that cause serious injuries.
If the severity of the accident caused you to be rushed to the hospital and undergo a succession of operations to save your life, then you will need a great deal of money to make a comeback. The medical bills from your hospital stay will need to be paid. You will also need money for the time you spend in rehabilitation and recovery. You must also make up for the income you lost. And if you are forced out of your job, you will need to be compensated for that loss. A Los Angeles area accident injury lawyer can help you fight for compensation based on your claims.
Determining Your Damages
The first thing your rideshare crash lawyer in Los Angeles will do is determine the value of your personal injury claim. Your Uber/Lyft accident lawyer in Los Angeles will begin this process by getting an understanding of the scope of your damages—that is, the total losses you have suffered.
Uber and Lyft have an extensive and highly complex scheme of insurance coverage. They offer up to one million dollars to passengers who have been injured in one of their vehicles. But getting this money is not always straightforward. In any case, the losses you have suffered may require more than a million dollars in compensation. It is also possible that other parties may be held at fault for the accident. If the other driver was at fault for the accident, it may be better for your Lyft crash lawyer in Los Angeles to pursue their insurance company. Regardless of who is ultimately found at fault, your Lyft attorney in the Los Angeles area will fight to ensure that you get the compensation that you deserve as a victim of a rideshare accident.
What You Should Be Compensated For
Here are some of the damages for which you should receive compensation:
- Medical care
You should get money for any medical treatment you have received as a result of the accident and all medical care you will need in the future. In some instances, the full extent of your injuries will not be immediately clear. Your ridesharing accident attorney in Los Angeles will advise you to wait until you have a more accurate picture of the debilitating effect of your injuries and your prognosis for a full recovery. You should not accept an injury settlement until that time.
- Loss of income and earning capacity
If you have been hospitalized because of your injuries, then you will not be able to earn income. Even when you go back to work, you may not be able to work the hours you once did or you may be forced into a lower-paying job. In the worst instance, you may be compelled to leave your career.
You are entitled to compensation for this kind of devastating financial loss. If you have suffered a permanent disability because of the accident, you must also be compensated for the loss of your earning capacity.
- Pain and suffering
The physical pain, emotional turmoil, and mental anguish that you and your family have suffered play a big role in the damages you receive. The discomfort and agony that you experienced is quantifiable. As are the emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, fear, anxiety, shock, and sleeplessness that you endured. Your ridesharing accident lawyer in Los Angeles will take the full measure of this part of your injuries and will ensure that you get properly compensated for it.
You Need Legal Counsel
You can take nothing for granted in personal injury claims. No matter how obvious your injuries and the cause of them, you must make the link between the action or inaction of drivers and the harm that you have suffered. Lawyers for Uber/Lyft drivers are the only ones who can build a strong and effective case. Lawyers who help win cases for Uber drivers will ensure that the facts surrounding the accident are thoroughly examined, and that the people responsible for your injuries are held accountable.
If you have been injured in a rideshare accident, then you should contact an attorney to explore your legal options.