Uber is one of the easiest and most convenient ways for someone to get in and around West Palm Beach, but it requires a lot of trust in the company’s ability to vet their drivers before you get into the back seat of a stranger’s vehicle. For the majority of passengers, these rides are completed without incident. However, there is an unfortunate and unavoidable minority of rides through this popular rideshare app that can end in disaster.
Fortunately for victims of Uber accidents, Uber provides its drivers and passengers with robust insurance protection. That said, there are many different pitfalls, loopholes, and complications that people may run into when they either set out to initiate an insurance claim with Uber’s insurance company or during the process of fighting to get the compensation that they deserve. It is important to remember, always, that no matter how easy it is to file an insurance claim, the company responsible for paying your damages is not going to give you what you deserve without a fight.
HIRE AN UBER ACCIDENT ATTORNEY IN WEST PALM BEACH WITH EASE
When you tap into the network of experienced personal injury attorneys available through 1-800-Injured, you can avoid the initial stress of trying to find an experienced lawyer to take your case. Expediency is key when you are taking action following an accident, which can be very challenging as you are trying to grapple with new and serious injuries that you have suffered as a result of this accident.
Read more below to get a better understanding of what to expect during your insurance claims process after an Uber accident in West Palm Beach, and get a better idea of why it is so important that you partner with a car accident attorney as soon as possible. Insurance companies stay in business by saving as much money as possible on each claim that they handle, and yours will be no different. The only way to get what you actually deserve is to negotiate aggressively, and hiring a lawyer is the best way to do this while giving yourself the space and time necessary to focus on recovering from your injuries at the same time.
WHAT TO DO AFTER BEING HURT IN AN UBER ACCIDENT
Prioritize Your Health
As is the case with any car accident, the most important thing for you to focus on is to make sure that your health is your top priority, starting from the moment that you are involved in the crash. This means calling 911 as soon as you are able to, or at least making sure that someone else is able to alert the authorities immediately.
Call 911
If you are able to speak with a 911 operator yourself, you will be able to give them an idea of your initial injuries so that they can relay this information to the police, fire department, and EMTs who will be dispatched to the scene of the accident. Inform the dispatcher about any key details that they will need to know about, such as the extent of the accident, whether there are any secondary accidents, or other safety hazards that the first responders will need to take care of when they arrive.
Get Medical Help Immediately
You will be attended to by the EMTs who arrive at the scene of the accident, but depending on your injuries you may or may not require an ambulance ride to the emergency room. If you are taken to the ER in an ambulance, then you will be given immediate care regardless. However, if you leave the scene of the accident on your own, then this medical care is up to you. See your doctor as soon as possible, both to have your injuries examined, but equally important, to make sure that you have as much documentation as possible for your injuries.
Hire an Attorney
Many people believe that the next step would be to file an insurance claim, but keep in mind that you will be filing an injury claim against a multi-billion dollar company that has extensive legal teams specifically for these types of situations. Therefore, the most important thing to do at this point is to partner with an attorney who can help you through each step and help you maximize your chances of a successful claim.
File Your Insurance Claim
Once you have found an attorney who you are going to entrust your case to, they will initiate your injury claim and then be able to advise you on every step that you will need to take in order to get the money that you deserve. Their experience with these types of situations will be a major help because they will be able to advise you on how to make statements, how to submit to an independent medical exam, and more.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT UBER ACCIDENTS
We understand that you likely have many questions about your situation, and it is likely that they are very complicated and very specific to your own experience and your own injuries. This is why it is so essential to start working with an attorney as soon as possible so that you can start to work on getting the answers to these questions from a trusted legal professional.
The following questions and answers are intended to provide you with a general idea of how an attorney may work to answer your specific questions, but again, the sooner you connect with an attorney through 1-800-Injured, the more time you will have to find the answers to your own situation.
How much is my case worth after being injured in an Uber accident?
In order to determine how much a personal injury case is worth, you will need to go through a range of details that are highly specific to your accident, as well as your financial situation, the impact on your earning ability, and more. Working out the actual value of a personal injury case is one of the most complicated pieces of the entire case, and will be met with aggressive counter-offers from the insurance company.
It is important that you are confident in your attorney and their damage estimates during this process because you will need to go through a series of negotiations where the insurance company will repeatedly claim that your calculations are incorrect or too high, whether or not it is the case.
Is Uber responsible for my injuries if I am in an accident while using their service?
Uber, the company, is not specifically responsible for your accident in most cases since the driver is operating as an independent contractor with their own insurance. Generally, Uber is not responsible for the accident and you will be dealing with the insurance company representing the Uber driver, not the company itself.
However, If there is a situation where your Uber driver has a criminal history that indicates their liability as a driver, such as things like DUI charges or convictions, criminal issues on their record, or other things that Uber failed to acknowledge during their hiring process, then you may be able to prove that Uber was negligent or reckless in their approval process, and therefore liable for certain damages.
Do Uber drivers have a special insurance policy?
t can be very complicated to determine who you should be filing your injury claims with after you are in an accident with an Uber driver. When the driver is not currently handling a fare or driving to pick up a fare, then they are covered by their own personal insurance policy and they are not considered to have been performing any work for Uber. If they have accepted a ride, then whether or not they have picked up the passenger then they are “on duty,” and are required to be covered by one of a number of insurance policies and coverage amounts.
Can I sue Uber after an accident?
If you and your attorney are able to prove that Uber, the company, was reckless or negligent in allowing the individual to drive using their app, then there may be an opportunity for you to sue uber. However, typically you will be seeking compensation from the insurance company that carried the policy for the driver who caused the accident, meaning that Uber Technologies, Inc., has very little to do with the crash itself, and therefore are not liable.
Should I settle with the insurance company?
Most personal injury claims are settled before going to trial, and while this is not a guarantee that your claim will result in a settlement, it indicates that there is a high likelihood that you will not need to go to trial to get the money you deserve. However, it is important to recognize that whether or not you settle, you will need to negotiate with the insurance company before you get the money you actually deserve.
Your attorney will use the time during the claims investigation to complete their own calculations of the damages you are entitled to, and will then need to go back and forth with the insurance representatives in order to reach an agreement before concluding the process. Never agree to a settlement without first consulting an attorney.
WHY CHOOSE 1-800-INJURED?
As you can see from some of the details mentioned above, there are a lot of steps that you will need to take before you are able to successfully conclude an injury claim after an Uber accident. Finding a seasoned attorney to help you through this process should not be as complicated as the process itself, which is why 1-800-Injured focuses on providing you with access to a robust network of diligent attorneys.
When you are able to find a lawyer to handle your case quickly and easily, you can focus on important priorities like recovering from your injuries and getting your life back on track.