Sometimes that call to Uber is the easiest decision you make all day. You’ll sidestep dealing with all of the California traffic headaches. You’re also letting someone else make car and insurance payments while you enjoy a chauffeured ride across the city.
While you may toss your driving cares out the window, as a passenger you’re still reliant on that Uber driver’s skills and caution to get you where you’re going. That’s not always a secure place when Uber employees are monitoring their phones and zipping in out of traffic to reach their destinations.
One mistake can put a careless Uber driver in the path of traffic and cause a dangerous accident. You might be in the backseat when you suffer a serious injury. After you start what’s perhaps a long medical recovery, you may wonder if anyone will be helping you with your hospital bills.
Securing Help After a Uber Accident Leaves you Injured
If you or a loved one are ever the victims of an accident caused by a rideshare driver be sure to speak to a Rideshare Accident Lawyer serving California victims. Uber and its corporate lawyers may try to convince you that your injury is nothing to worry about. When in truth, their insurance offer is barely enough to cover your emergency room visit, let alone the weeks of physical therapy that may lie ahead.
An experienced personal injury attorney will know how much compensation you will need to make a full recovery physically and financially. Take advantage of a free consultation before you end up signing away the support you’ll rely on to avoid financial ruin after an accident that wasn’t your fault.
Evidence to Collect in the Moments After Your Uber Accident
Crashes involving Uber vehicles are rarely clear-cut cases. The fault can be pretty obvious, but because several insurance agencies may be involved in your claim, things can get confusing quickly.
Uber does offer insurance help to some victims, but it only applies in certain situations. That’s the least of your worries because, as a passenger, first you’ll be required to try to gain support from the at-fault driver’s insurance and that could be the Uber driver or the other driver involved. Uber coverage and the driver’s insurance may both reject your claim and leave you to file a claim with your own car insurance company.
With all of the directions your injury case could go, it’s absolutely vital to gather as much evidence on the scene of the accident as possible. And if you are injured and can’t get out of the vehicle, ask someone else to do it for you if possible.
- Call 911. Give a full report to the police and alert them to anything you saw that clearly puts the blame on the Uber driver or the other drivers involved in other cars. Let paramedics give you an evaluation and head to the emergency room if it’s necessary.
- Get pics of the scene. Get images of any signs or stickers identifying an Uber vehicle and employee. Take images of the damage to the cars involved, any visible injuries, and street signs. Show the condition of the back or front seat where you were sitting.
- Look in all directions to see if nearby homes or businesses might have security cameras that recorded the accident.
- Get contact information from any witnesses on the scene. Make sure you know where to locate them later.
- Exchange information with the Uber driver, but don’t make any statements about the accident to the driver or any Uber representatives who may call you. If another vehicle is involved you will also need to get their information. You won’t know who the police will find at fault for your accident. You may have to seek help with your medical care from that other driver’s insurance company.
- Make an appointment with your personal physician. Get full documentation on immediate injuries and any injuries that appear in the days to come.
Reporting an Accident to Uber as a Passenger
As a passenger, you’ll need to let Uber know your ride ended in a collision. They will want to investigate what happened to you and let you know if they will be accepting liability for your injury.
To alert Uber that you’ve been in an accident as a customer pull up the app. Head to Trip and Fare Review and under that heading you should find “I was involved in an accident.” Uber advises you to check to make sure you’ve selected the correct trip and then share all available info. A member of their team will reach out to confirm everyone’s safety and gather any other required information.
This is where you should be careful. You might report that you are uninjured and then the next day wake up barely able to move. You could have an injury and not know it. So, when talking with Uber lawyers or insurance reps don’t give them any statements saying you’re okay. Say you aren’t sure.
Contact an Uber Accident Lawyer Serving California Victims
Uber makes a lot of money off of passengers and it’s not too much to ask that they support them when they get hurt on an Uber ride. If you or a loved one sustained a serious injury and the accident involved an Uber vehicle, contact us for a free, no-obligation case consultation.
Whether you were hit by an Uber driver, injured as a passenger, or injured as an Uber driver let us handle Uber and its lawyers while giving you the time to heal and get back on your feet without the worry and stress that your bills won’t get paid.
