For more than a century, Tulare has been a transportation hub for farming and agriculture. It’s a central location to send goods on to the ports of Los Angeles, San Fran, Sacramento, and Stockton. The hardworking residents of Tulare also find themselves needing transport at times and that’s where Uber has filled the gap.
Uber drivers are almost always on the roads and ready to pick you up. The rideshare service makes it easy to get around, but these drivers can also fill local lanes with even more traffic. You may be traveling across Tulare when a distracted Uber vehicle comes out of nowhere to strike you.
If you are seriously hurt in an accident involving Uber, don’t face off against a giant nationwide company alone as you try to get help with medical bills. Talk to our Tulare rideshare accident lawyers and tell us exactly what happened to you. You shouldn’t be paying for your own recovery. Contact us and we’ll help you determine who should be helping you get back on your feet again.
Uber Distracted Driver Accidents In Tulare
You may be heading to work or you may be on Cross Avenue or J Street shopping or looking for food when you suddenly notice the high traffic levels on those busy streets. Tulare roads and highways can see a lot of cars and trucks, but some of those vehicles are part of the rideshare and delivery industry.
Each order on an app is another car out of the roads, and sometimes those vehicles are even roaming around while they wait on orders to come in. Those drivers can be distracted by a notification telling them someone needs a ride on the south side of town. They can also get careless when they feel they have to hurry to keep a passenger happy.
All of these excuses for a lack of attention and caution on the roads only increase the chances that Uber drivers will cause an accident. The vehicle they hit could be yours and you may be forced to consider how Uber provides for victims when their drivers cause serious injuries. You may also be in an Uber vehicle when a crash occurs and have doubts over if Uber or their driver will provide any help at all.
Common Injuries In Uber Vehicle Accidents
It’s important to sort out just who may be responsible for your hardships after a rideshare accident because the injuries can be so severe and require weeks, months, or years of care.
Like all vehicle accidents, your injuries may not even be apparent at the scene. Some injuries, even severe cases, may not hurt until a day or two after a collision.
Here are some of the most common injuries emergency rooms treat after a rideshare crash:
- Brain injuries: Injuries can be short term issues or be with the victim for a lifetime. Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) after a blow to the head can result in constant headaches, sensitivity to light and sound, and even cause victims to experience anxiety and depression.
- Thoracic Spine Injury: Whiplash or disc nerve damage can cause pain that travels through all parts of the body, muscle weakness, and loss of control of body parts.
- Back injuries: The stretching of ligaments, tendons, and/or muscles can result in microscopic tears of varying degrees in these tissues. More permanent damage can also occur.
- Broken bones: Fractures are common in car accidents and some breaks can be very difficult to heal. Bones can even heal in the wrong position causing more pain and issues years down the line.
Uber Coverage for Accident Victims In Tulare
Victims deserve to focus on the healing process and not on how many hospital bills are piling up. Sometimes that’s unavoidable as you deal with the back and forth between an Uber driver’s insurance policy and Uber’s policy.
If an Uber driver causes an accident and you are injured, you’ll usually be forced to file a claim against the driver’s personal insurance policy. These claims are often denied depending on the company’s rules on covering a policyholder while they drive for a rideshare company.
Uber does offer coverage if a driver’s policy is ruled out, but only in certain circumstances. When a collision happens while a driver is on the way to a customer pick up or if a passenger is in the car, Uber can offer up to one million dollars in compensation to victims. If the accident happens while drivers are logged in on the Uber app but don’t have a ride request yet, the coverage goes down to a maximum of $100,000. If there are issues getting Uber to accept liability or pay enough to cover all of your costs in recovery, an attorney may be able to try other strategies to force them into accountability.
Contact An Uber Accident Lawyer in Tulare
Whether you deal with an Uber driver’s insurance agent or the lawyers and agents for Uber, it’s a good idea to have an attorney on your side to let you know when you’re being treated unfairly. You’ve suffered from pain and a change in lifestyle due to your injury and anything less than complete coverage for your medical costs and missed time from work from Uber is unacceptable.
If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury after an accident involving a Uber vehicle contact us for a free and confidential consultation.