Taking an Uber is one of the most convenient ways that someone can get around Washington DC—even when considering how (relatively) effective our public transit system is. Whether you are out with friends for the night, late for work, or just want to go grocery shopping without the hassle of looking for parking, Uber, Lyft, and other popular ride-sharing platforms are a great option. In addition, you can usually count on having a safe ride to and from your destination, as these ride-sharing apps have stringent hiring policies and continuously audit their drivers based on ratings, reports, and other information in order to provide their riders with a safe experience.
Unfortunately, no amount of safety measures can guarantee that you will be able to avoid an accident while riding an Uber in Washington DC, which is why it is so important to know that there are lawyers out there who are ready and willing to help you get the compensation you deserve after an injury. If you have been hurt in an Uber accident, either as a passenger or as the other driver, you have rights that we are here to help you exercise.
Hire an Uber Accident Lawyer Now To Get the Money You Deserve
With Balkin Law Group you can be confident that you will be working with a lawyer who has experience with your type of case and who can start working towards getting the money that you rightfully deserve as soon as possible. Trying to find an attorney on your own can be an exhausting and stressful experience before even starting the process of actually trying to work with the insurance company, so to avoid that stress. Let us help.
Read more below to learn a bit about how filing an insurance claim works after an Uber accident, and contact us now to be connected with an attorney. During your free consultation, you will be able to speak with an experienced legal professional about your situation, including your injuries, expenses, and all other impacts of your injury, and learn more about how they will be able to advocate for your rights and help you get a fair settlement.
What To Do After an Uber Accident
Whether you are driving your own vehicle or you are the passenger in an Uber, getting into an accident caused by an Uber driver can lead to some confusion about how to file an insurance company. This is because Uber drivers are not actually employees of Uber Technologies, Inc., but are instead working as independent contractors. Therefore, they are only covered by Uber’s insurance policies when they are actively transporting a fare through the app.
Call 911
As with any accident, you will want to call 911 as soon as possible. This way, the police and fire departments will be able to secure the area and make a report while the EMTs are able to administer emergency care and determine how to help each injured party.
Treat Your Injuries
Whether you take an ambulance to the emergency room or you are able to leave the scene on your own, you absolutely must see a doctor as soon as possible. If you do not have official documentation for all of the injuries that you list in your claim, the insurance company will have a strong case against providing you with any compensation for it. Therefore, seeing your doctor gives you the double benefits of having your injuries treated AND getting the legal proof that you need.
Get the Details
Once you are able to call 911 and have your medical needs addressed, you will also need to determine how the driver was engaging with the Uber app during the accident—that is, whether they had a passenger in the car, were driving to pick up a fare, or if they were not active in the app at all. Depending on these details, you will either need to file a claim through the driver’s personal insurance or through one of Uber’s coverage policies.
Hire an Attorney
The sooner you are able to begin working with an attorney, the more time you will have to build a comprehensive case for the compensation that you deserve. From the moment the insurance company becomes aware of the accident and the upcoming claims against their client, they will spring into action to identify every possible way to limit the final amount that they must pay out in the settlement. When you have a lawyer who is handling all of the details of your claim, you can be confident that they are taking every step possible to combat the insurance company’s goals.
Frequently Asked Questions About Washington DC Uber Accidents
The following are just a few examples of the most common questions that your attorney answers during initial conversations about Uber accidents. Keep in mind that the only way to get an accurate and comprehensive answer about your specific situation is to work with a lawyer, but the answers provided below should give you an indication of how they will reach an answer.
How much is my Uber accident worth?
An Uber accident is handled like any other personal injury claim when it comes to determining damages, meaning that you and your attorney will work through two specific types of compensatory damages in order to reach a final calculation.
ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Economic damages are the most obvious and simple damages to calculate, because they include every impact of your accident that has a measurable financial value attached to it. These damages include things like your medical expenses for your injuries, recovery costs such as physical therapy, assistive devices, and prescriptions, as well as any impacts to your earnings.
NON-ECONOMIC DAMAGES
Non-economic damages are more complicated to calculate but are just as important for a fair settlement. They seek compensation for immeasurable effects of your accident, such as the pain and suffering that you have endured. Obviously, these damages are harder to calculate and will require ongoing negotiations to reach an agreement with the insurance company.
How can an attorney help me file a claim for an Uber accident?
When you are working with an insurance company directly, you will need to give a lot of your attention and energy to this process that would be better spent focusing on recovering. In fact, stress is shown to have a significant adverse impact on recovering from physical injuries, meaning that any stress that you are able to avoid by using an attorney is helping to improve your health outcomes.
In addition to the benefits of stress reduction, hiring an attorney means that you are able to leverage their years of experience in these claims. Insurance companies take advantage of a claimant’s inexperience in order to convince them to accept low settlement offers, and your attorney will not allow that to happen.
How long will my Uber accident claim take to be settled?
There is no set timeline for how long it takes an insurance claim to be settled, even if the insurance company is legally required to conclude their claim investigation and make you an offer in a certain amount of time. Once the insurance company makes an initial offer, you and your attorney will then begin a series of negotiations intended to reach a fair agreement while avoiding an official legal process.
Depending on how wide of a gap you and your lawyer will need to close with the insurance company, this process could be finished in days, or it could take years of preparation and possibly even a trial.