Is the Rideshare Company At Fault For Accident?
It is not news to say that ride sharing has gained so much popularity in recent years. Using a Lyft or Uber service is now one of the most common ways for people to get around. Anyone can become part of the Lyft or Uber network of drivers. No particular training or qualifications are required. The drivers get to work when and where they please. There is no more safety in a ride sharing journey than is present in a ride from a friend.
Not all Uber and Lyft drivers are alert and conscientious. You may have the misfortune of being driven by one who is unsafe. If you have been injured in an auto accident that was the fault of a ride sharing driver, you do have legal options.
Telling Your Story To A Lawyer
The first thing you should do after the accident is to contact a lawyer. Although you may still be recovering from the accident, you should start thinking of ways to hold the person responsible for your accident accountable for their negligence. A Lyft Crash Lawyer in Los Angeles will be eager to hear your story. During your first consultation they will ask you to recall the events that led to the accident and all that happened afterward. The ridesharing industry is relatively new, and there are very few legal precedents related to it. A Lyft car wreck lawyer in Los Angeles will be familiar enough with such cases to get you the money you deserve. They will use the narrative of your accident and its consequences as the basis for a legal strategy.
The Consequences Of A Ridesharing Accident
Being in an accident can turn your entire life upside down. If you are severely injured, then you may need to be hospitalized for weeks or months. You will suffer a loss of income and you will accumulate a range of medical bills, including rehabilitative treatment and long-term prescriptive medicines. When you are well enough to go back to your job, you may be forced to reduce the number of hours you work or even to take a lower paying position.
You should not have to shoulder such burdens on your own, especially when you were not the cause of the accident.
The Liability Of Ride Sharing Companies
Ride sharing drivers are technically contractors, not employees. There have been cases in which Lyft and Uber have used that distinction to absolve themselves of liability. However, the two companies do provide some protection to drivers. Uber in particular provides up to $1 million in accident coverage for uninsured and under-insured drivers. What this means is that if the driver’s insurance does not cover your accident injuries, Uber will do so up to $1 million.
This may seem like a generous amount of money, but if your injuries are severe—if they will require you to undergo long-term and expensive treatment and to give up your career—you will need more money. Working with an Uber car wreck lawyer in Los Angeles can help you get it.
How A Ride Sharing Accident Lawyer in Los Angeles Can Help
A Lyft and Uber accident attorney in Los Angeles specializes in this area of tort law. They will have extensive expertise and experience in handling these cases. They will know how to expertly gather the facts, employ forensic evidence, and bring the relevant parts of law to bear on your case.
Here Are A Few Of The Specific Actions Your Lawyer Will Take To Get You Justice:
- Gather the Facts
Your ridesharing accident lawyer in Los Angeles will get a copy of the police report of the accident, including all of the photos and witness statements. They will also engage their own professional investigators to re-examine the scene of the accident and re-interview witnesses. All documents related to Uber and Lyft insurance and driver screening policies will be subpoenaed.
The background of the driver will also be scrutinized. If the driver has a history of DWI, traffic violations, and road accidents, your lawyer will find out about it. Although ride sharing drivers are not employees, Lyft and Uber have a responsibility to ensure that they are not exposing customers to unsafe drivers. Some diligence is required, and your attorney can make the case that the companies are responsible for maintaining a minimum standard when selecting drivers to join their network.
- Employ Forensic Evidence
Tire marks, shattered glass, and the position and nature of the damage to the respective vehicles tell the story of how the accident unfolded. Your ride sharing wreck lawyer Los Angeles will bring in an auto accident reconstruction expert who will be able to develop a simulation based on the evidence left at the scene. Your lawyer will also engage the services of experts who will be able to prove that the actions or particular inaction of the driver made the accident worse than it might have been. This can be framed as an aggravating factor in your case and put even more pressure on the ride sharing companies to give you more money.
Your Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney can also bring in medical experts who will testify or submit sworn statements to the effect that the injuries you sustained could only have been caused by the accident.
- Bring the Law to Bear
Your Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney will have to prove that the accident caused you severe injuries, that the ride sharing company is liable, and that you are entitled to a specific dollar amount in damages. A Los Angeles Lyft accident attorney is qualified to make such an argument and to do it successfully.
If you have been severely injured in this kind of accident, you should not accept the first settlement package offered by the ride sharing company. You should hire a Los Angeles Personal Injury Attorney and demand more. If they refuse, then you may have to sue them. The suit does not need to go to trial. Your personal injury lawyer may be able to present enough evidence to compel them to offer a settlement that is commensurate with all that you have suffered.
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