How to Get a Car Seat For Your Uber or Lyft

How to Get a Car Seat For Your Uber or Lyft | California Rideshare Lawyer

Rideshare Law Office helps anyone hurt in an Uber or Lyft accident. Unfortunately, you might not be the only one in the car at the time. Worse, it could be your young child. Even with a car seat, the potential for injuries in a car accident is still there. If you find yourself in this unfortunate situation, contact us today for a free consultation to talk about your options.

Can You Get a Car Seat in an Uber or Lyft?

If you have a child, it’s absolutely vital to use a carseat–not only that, but it’s actually against the law in California not to use one. But sometimes, you might not have access to your own car. One solution is to use an Uber or Lyft, but you might be wondering how or even if you can get a ride with a carseat.

Thankfully, both offer that option (in certain areas.) Uber currently offers rides with a car seat in New York City and Los Angeles, and are developing a rollout in other areas of the country.  Lyft also offers car seats for parents, but only in New York City.

To get a carseat, all you have to do is select the option when you schedule your Uber or Lyft ride in the app.

How to Get a Car Seat For Your Uber or Lyft | California Rideshare Lawyer

How Protective Are Car Seats in an Uber or Lyft Accident?

Obviously, there’s a reason that the law requires car seats for your small child: it offers much more safety and protection in the event of an accident. Just how protective a car seat is, though, depends on the circumstances.

Whether in the back of an Uber, Lyft, or any other vehicle, your child is going to be vulnerable to injuries in a car accident–even with a car seat. This is due to a variety of different factors like:

  • Developing brains and spinal cords – These are especially vulnerable during accidents because they are still growing.

  • Smaller size – Children’s smaller size makes them more susceptible to being ejected and turbulence during an accident. Fortunately, a car seat cuts this down pretty significantly.

  • Lower self-control – Restless children can sometimes remove themselves from their car seats, increasing injury risk during an accident.

After an accident, the first priority is to get you and your child to safety and then check for injuries. Your child might not be able to clearly communicate their injuries, so seeking medical care is crucial.

Common child injuries in car accidents include:

  • Whiplash
  • Neck injuries
  • Facial injuries
  • Broken bones
  • Burns
  • Restraint injuries

So, even in a car seat, your child might be hurt in an Uber of Lyft accident. At that point, it becomes necessary to look at your child’s legal options.

Claims Process After an Uber of Lyft Accident

Although it’s a bit different in terms of the circumstances, the bottom line is that an Uber or Lyft accident in California is viewed the same as any other car accident. This means that when you or your child get hurt in one, you have the legal right to file an injury claim.

Where the process differs is that an Uber or Lyft driver is an “independent contractor”, meaning that Uber or Lyft likely won’t have to pay for your damages in an accident. Rather, it’ll fall on your driver’s auto coverage, plus any additional liability insurance they carry for their rides.

Regardless, you can file a claim on your child’s behalf by either filing an insurance claim out of court or a personal injury lawsuit. The point of either option is to recover your child’s damages, which can sometimes be hard to quantify given the fact that you have to extrapolate into the future. Still, a claim can help you recover financial support for things like:

  • Medical expenses – Covers past and future medical bills, rehabilitation, therapy sessions, prescription medications, and necessary medical equipment.
  • Pain and suffering – Financial support for your child’s physical pain and emotional distress. 
  • Loss of enjoyment of life – Financial considerations for the impact on your child’s ability to enjoy activities they once participated in.
  • Future expenses – Covers anticipated future costs for ongoing medical care, adaptive equipment, or long-term effects of the injury.
  • Lost earning potential – Financial considerations if the injury affects your child’s future ability to work.
  • Loss of companionship – Financial considerations for the loss of affection and companionship your child experiences due to the injury.
  • Punitive damages – In some cases, if the responsible party acted with gross negligence or intentionally harmed your child, additional punitive damages may be awarded.

A key difference in a child injury claim is that the two-year statute of limitations starts when the child turns 18, giving you more time to file a claim. Still, you need to act quickly so you can tie your child’s injuries to the actual accident.

California Rideshare Lawyers Can Help You After an Uber or Lyft Accident

In California, there’s any number of Uber and Lyft rides that are taken every day. Even if your child is in a car seat during one of these rides, they can be injured in an accident. While it’s scary to think about, you have to be prepared when it does. At Rideshare Law Office, our team of California rideshare accident lawyers will be there to help and support you and your child. To get the recovery process started, contact us today for a free consultation.