Car accidents already require dealing with the other driver and their insurance company. Accidents involving rideshare organizations add a private company’s interests into the mix, complicating the process of receiving damages.
We can help. If you were injured in Tyler by an Uber or Lyft vehicle, a rideshare accident lawyer from Loncar Lyon Jenkins can evaluate your case.
We Create a Plan for Seeking Damages
The goal of a personal injury insurance claim or a lawsuit is to obtain damages – monetary compensation for what you suffered. Damages can be bill reimbursement, funds for future treatment, and compensation for the abstract losses that resulted from your injuries.
While the treatments you need will depend on your situation, damages typically cover:
- Hospital bills
- Medication costs
- Medical devices
- Rehab and therapy
- Lost income
These are general categories; your compensation will be tailored to you. For instance, if you were rear-ended by an Uber driver, you can seek damages to cover chiropractic care and prescription painkillers. There is no established list assigning a dollar amount to each accident. Instead, our team works with you and your doctors to develop a plan for your path to compensation.
Additional Factors Affecting Your Case’s Value
Part of tailoring your damages to your situation means digging into how your rideshare accident injuries have affected and will affect your everyday life. Some aspects we may consider are:
- Your ability to work
- Changes to your quality of life
- Your dependents and family
- Any pre-existing conditions made worse by the crash
- Your profession
- Your pain and suffering
- Changes to your intimate relationships
For example, if you sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), you may experience trouble focusing or performing complex tasks. If your job relies on long periods of concentration and juggling multiple tasks, your injury affects your livelihood in addition to your health, something we then figure into our pursuit of damages.
Similarly, a family’s sole breadwinner may need more compensation than a single person. Injuries that affect spousal intimacy can also make you eligible for additional damages called “loss of consortium.” Talk to the Loncar Lyon Jenkins rideshare injury team today for more information.
We Can Recover Wrongful Death-Related Expenses
Rideshare accidents can kill, especially when involving pedestrians or bicyclists. In fact, according to the most recent data from the Governors Highway Safety Association, there has been an increase in crashes involving pedestrians.
Driver distraction due to GPS, rideshare apps, and looking for customers can prove fatal for bystanders.
If you lost a loved one in this situation, we can pursue wrongful death damages to cover:
- Medical expenses
- Funeral costs
- Pain and suffering
- Lost income
Suffering the death of a family member is expensive and overwhelming. Get legal support during this difficult time.
We Help Sort Out Who to Hold Responsible
While your desires following an accident are simple – to have your medical expenses and financial losses paid by the responsible party – the involvement of a rideshare company makes it difficult to know who the responsible party even is. A rideshare injury attorney can sort through the many variables on your behalf.
In the simplest terms, the at-fault party is the one that was negligent; they owed you a duty of care but acted recklessly and disregarded that duty, causing you injury. Your injuries entitle you to compensation from them. However, because Uber and Lyft drivers work on behalf of the company, you may wind up in the middle of a debate over whether the driver or the company should foot the bill.
We May be Able to Hold the Ridesharing Company’s Insurer Accountable
Uber and Lyft both offer insurance coverage that could pay your expenses, but coverage depends on if the driver was logged into and active on the rideshare app when the accident occurred.
Even this, however, may not be straightforward. Rideshare companies characterize themselves as “interactive computer services” rather than transportation carriers, which can help them avoid liability. In other words, they are only app developers and may dispute liability in the event of a crash.
How Our Law Firm Can Help You Recover Damages
Our Uber and Lyft rideshare accident lawyers can step in to help victims like you in places like Tyler. We can take a careful look at the rideshare company’s paperwork, the events of the accident, and similar cases to determine who to pursue. We help by:
- Reviewing the liable policy
- Negotiating with insurance company representatives
- Obtaining driver phone, text, and app records
- Studying police reports on the accident
- Interviewing witnesses from the scene
- Consulting experts and doctors
- Reconstructing the accident scenario
All of this sheds light on whether the rideshare company can be held liable for your expenses. If not, we can help you pursue the driver through their own insurance company, much like in another car accident. This process may also highlight possible third parties involved. We explore every avenue.
You Have Options Even if the Other Driver Was Uninsured or Underinsured
Rideshare companies aren’t alone in trying to avoid paying. The driver’s private insurance may also attempt to dodge responsibility. Many policies exclude coverage for accidents that happen while a car is being used commercially. If so, the driver is essentially uninsured for your accident. You then must file a lawsuit against the driver personally.
While a growing number of insurance companies offer rideshare policies, commercial car insurance can be cost-prohibitive. A 2014 R Street policy study found that such coverage can cost $8,000 to $10,000 annually. Drivers may therefore forgo commercial coverage, while others may abandon insurance entirely, hoping Lyft’s or Uber’s coverage will help them in an accident.
If you are facing challenges in pursuing the driver for damages, call our office today. Just as we can negotiate with rideshare companies, we can act as a go-between with the driver’s insurance company or lawyers.
We Help You Right Away with a Free Consultation
Rideshare accident cases are complicated, but receiving legal help for them should not be. With that in mind, our rideshare accident lawyers help Uber and Lyft crash victims in Tyler by offering free initial case reviews. Call in the Strong Arm today at (877) 239-4878 to get started.
Call or text 877-239-4878 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
