Rideshare Law Office of California wins support for victims hurt in rideshare accidents involving HopSkipDrive drivers. Victims may have been struck by a HopSkipDrive car. Children may have been hurt while riding in a HopSkipDrive vehicle. We make sure young victims and their families have everything they need to pay for their medical care so they can continue growing and developing without worry over injury complications. Please contact us to schedule a free, no-obligation consultation for all California injury victims.
Do I Need a Lawyer After a HopSkipDrive Accident?
If your child’s injuries are only very minor in a crash, or it’s a property damage-only accident, you may not need the help of a lawyer for your case.
It’s when the injuries suffered are serious, like a broken wrist or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), that you should go over your accident with a skilled lawyer. These types of injuries can be especially devastating for young victims and also affect their physical development in the future.
When medical bills run high, insurance adjusters for HopSkipDrive will be working overtime to try to shift the blame in an accident to someone else. They want to at least downplay your child’s injuries so they can offer you less in a settlement.
A California rideshare accident lawyer fully investigates your accident and collects the evidence necessary to keep insurance companies from wiggling out of responsibility. Witness testimony and accident reconstruction data will be used to force HopSkipDrive to provide the maximum in compensation available.
HopSkipDrive Rideshare Dangers
HopSkipDrive is a rideshare serving parts of Southern California, including Los Angeles County, that focuses on offering safe car rides to children. Parents can book trips for their children and monitor pickups and drop-offs on their phones.
Safety is the number one concern for HopSkipDrive. They have a 15-point certification process their drivers must pass. They also have restrictions on what types of vehicles drivers can use. They must be safe cars and SUVs. These precautions are reassuring, but unfortunately, any time people get out on California roads, there’s the chance of accidents.
There are always careless drivers on the road that might cause a collision with a HopSkipDrive car with your child inside. HopSkipDrive employees also deal with more distractions that normal drivers, because they are working while behind the wheel, and caring for young lives.
These and other potential hazards can make HopSkipDrive drivers more likely to cause an accident.
- Cellphone Distractions – Drivers aren’t supposed to stare at cell phones, but rideshare drivers use their phones to find ride requests and navigate to a child’s location. Drivers can stare at a potential customer’s notes while missing what’s going on in front of them.
- In Vehicle Distractions – HopSkipDrive employees have the added responsibility of caring for children while they are transporting passengers. If drivers aren’t experienced in child care and aren’t skilled at staying focused on the road at the same time, they can end up in accidents. The rideshare company must also make sure drivers aren’t working too many hours in a row or skipping breaks they need to stay alert in the lanes.
- Temptation to Be Reckless – HopSkipDrive employees might also feel pressure to race to a child’s location. They should never exceed the speed limit or drive aggressively with a child in the vehicle, but some drivers will make a mistake and end up causing crashes.
- Taking Focus Off a Child – The driver’s duty to a young passenger doesn’t end when a vehicle stops. Drivers must see that children get into the SUV safely and out. They must never allow a child to exit the vehicle into an unsafe spot. A child might fall from a van and get seriously hurt. A child might be let off in a place that puts them at risk of being struck by other drivers. HopSkipDrive would be liable for any harm that came to a child, even when the ride has come to a stop.
Do HopSkipDrive Drivers Carry Insurance?
Yes. All HopSkipDrive employees must have the minimum insurance coverage required by California. In certain phases of the workday, drivers are also covered by an auto insurance policy provided by HopSkipDrive.
In some accidents involving a rideshare driver, (if your car was struck by a HopSkipDrive SUV) you may first have to file a claim with the driver’s insurance provider. However, this policy may have very low limits that don’t cover the potentially high medical care costs for your child. That’s why claims are usually directed at the rideshare company if possible. The business will generally have a much higher limit on insurance and provide for more of the child’s needs as they heal.
Does HopSkipDrive Provide Insurance Coverage for Injured Accident Victims?
If your child is hurt during a trip with HopSkipDrive, you would likely be filing a claim with the company’s liability insurance provider. However, drivers are only covered during certain phases of their job.
The HopSkipDrive website goes over how its car insurance works:
“HopSkipDrive maintains a comprehensive automobile insurance policy that is in effect while CareDrivers are logged into the HopSkipDrive application and either on the way to pick up a Rider or while transporting a Rider…Coverage begins whenever you are en route to pickup (you have tapped “I’m on the way!” in the CareDriver app) and continues until you have completed drop-off for your rider (you have tapped “complete ride” in the CareDriver app).”
Basically, HopSkipDrive employees are covered when they are on the way to pick up a child and while they have the child in the vehicle. In this phase of the workday, passengers are backed by an insurance policy that goes up to one million dollars.
Unfortunately, HopSkipDrive won’t always make it easy for parents and victims to secure the support needed to recover from a serious injury. They can afford corporate lawyers who will work to find ways to blame other drivers or downplay how serious an injury is. Insurance adjusters will be working towards the same goal. It’s critical for you and your family to have strong legal representative of your own to protect your future and the future of your child.
What If a HopSkipDrive Car is Struck by a Careless Driver and My Child Is Hurt?
In this case, accident coverage would probably play out like a normal accident. The at-fault driver’s insurance provider would be responsible for paying hospital costs and providing other support your injured child needs.
HopSkipDrive coverage does apply in an accident involving an uninsured driver. If the driver to blame in another car doesn’t carry insurance, HopSkipDrive’s insurer could provide some support. This support would also be available if a child was hurt and the at-fault driver’s minimum insurance coverage wasn’t enough to provide for all of the child’s medical care.
A skilled California HopSkipDrive Accident Lawyer would hold the at-fault driver’s insurance fully liable for the harm caused to a young victim. A Rideshare Law Office would also investigate to see if HopSkipDrive also contributed to the collision, and file a claim against the rideshare company if so.
What Type of Support Can My Child Receive After a HopSkipDrive Accident?
Children must receive the maximum in injury compensation possible due to the potential future hardships they may face in recovery. Children’s bodies are usually smaller and more susceptible to injuries in the blunt force trauma of a vehicle impact.
It’s also true that injuries to a young victim may have a much longer-lasting effect on the health of the child. Broken bones and internal injuries may appear to heal, only to cause complications years later as the victim matures into adulthood.
Victims may require additional surgeries as they mature. Surgery may help correct the placement of a broken bone that never healed right. Children may require additional physical therapy down the road.
Your lawyer would be demanding full compensation for your family’s current hardships and those that lie ahead.
These are just a few of the damages that must factor into a HopSkipDrive accident settlement check:
- Medical expenses, both past and future.
- Support for physical pain suffered by the child.
- Support for any permanent disfigurement or disability suffered.
- Support for the emotional toll a crash and a difficult recovery take on a young victim.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Lost wages for parents who must miss work to care for a child.
At Rideshare Law Office, we strive to provide as little distraction as possible to young victims and their families during the claims process. We will work to secure the most possible for a young victim while giving the child as much time as possible to focus on healing and growing stronger.
Can My Family Seek Support if a Child Is Killed in a Rideshare Accident?
Yes. Grieving families can seek justice and support for the future by filing for wrongful death benefits. These are benefits for parents who must deal with the devastating loss of a little one while also possibly facing financial challenges that arise after an accident.
Parents could seek support to pay for a funeral and burial. They should receive money to cover all remaining medical bills. A HopSkipDrive Lawyer filing a wrongful death claim on behalf of the family would demand additional support for the family’s current and future hardships as they cope with the loss of love and companionship that would have been cherished in the years ahead.
Contact A HopSkipDrive Accident Lawyer
After an accident, it’s critical for victims to avoid forfeiting important benefits they’ll need to rebuild their lives. That’s especially true for young victims who may suffer physical and emotional hardships for years to come after a frightening accident.
If you or your child sustained a serious injury and the accident involved a HopSkipDrive driver, contact us for a free and confidential consultation. Rideshare accidents can be complex cases and involve many different insurance companies.
There’s no obligation for this free case review., but if you feel we can help you earn more for your recovery, you won’t need any money to hire Rideshare Law Office. We work on a contingency basis and don’t get paid unless we win your case for you and your family. Then our fee comes out of the award HopSkipDrive must pay to you.
