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Driver services have exploded in popularity over the last few years, and with that popularity comes no shortage of controversies. Conflicts over drivers’ qualifications (and the hours they were allowed to work across multiple services) have questioned whether the drivers now filling the streets can be as accountable as taxi drivers. An Uber and Lyft accident can leave you bewildered as to what steps to take.
Uber and Lyft drivers have caused accidents and been involved in vehicle and roadside collisions that have injured their passengers and other drivers. If you have been involved in such an accident, you can get help from the Florida Uber and Lyft accident attorneys at Hunter Law. Our personal injury lawyers can assist you with claims against Uber’s driver insurance policy and in cases where additional litigation may be required. Please call Hunter Law for a no-pressure, free consultation.
If you have just recently been involved in an Uber or Lyft accident, there are several steps that you can take that will make it easier for your lawyer to handle your case. Please follow these steps as soon as possible after your accident.
Uber or Lyft may attempt to contact you after an accident. Or, the driver involved may contact them immediately after the accident and request that you speak to them while they’re on the line. Provide them with contact information, but do not answer any questions they have about the accident until you have received medical attention and spoken to an attorney. Answer any law enforcement questions honestly, but don’t confirm any details you don’t know to be absolutely correct.
Vehicle accidents can result in many types of trauma, including some that do not show symptoms until months or even years after the accident. Many types of trauma to the brain and spine, for example, can result in lifelong conditions where the quality of life and the ability to work deteriorate with time. The best outcomes for these conditions rely on catching them as early as possible.
If you are healthy enough to move at the scene of an accident, it may be your only chance to get some testimony that could be very important for your case. Speak to some of the witnesses on the street or other drivers. Get their contact information so that your lawyer can contact them, and take some quick notes on what they remember about the accident. Determining the identities of witnesses after the accident scene has been cleared is often difficult to impossible.
A claim against Uber or Lyft operates a little differently than most other car accident claims. First, you have almost no risk of being found partially liable as a passenger. The only exception might be if you were doing something to recklessly distract the driver. In most cases, you are protected by an insurance policy that was developed by negotiations with city leaders and lawmakers.
Uber and Lyft have a similar process for managing claims against their drivers, either by passengers, pedestrians, other cars on the road, or even other Uber and Lyft drivers. The drivers are covered under a smaller $50,000 policy when they are driving without passengers and a $1,000,000 policy when they are involved in an accident with a passenger in the car. These companies went a step further by also protecting passengers inside their vehicles when those vehicles were struck by uninsured drivers.
How these policies interact with Florida’s PIP (Personal Injury Protection) requirements is less clear. But most personal policies that cover these drivers when they are off the clock are unlikely to be involved in these cases. These companies’ insurance will almost always take priority. Contact our Tampa Bay personal injury lawyers today with any questions you have if you are involved in an Uber or Lyft accident. Call Hunter Law 24/7.
If you need legal assistance with a personal injury or a family law issue, contact our team of qualified attorneys today.