Were You Injured In An Uber Accident?
If you’re looking for an Uber accident attorney, the Russell Law Firm, LLC has helped many others like you. Ridesharing is now a fact of life in Louisiana and the rest of the nation. It has improved transportation for many of us, but that’s no consolation if you, or someone you love, is dealing with an injury as a result of an Uber accident.
Are Uber Accidents Different from Other Collisions?
Yes. As a rapidly growing corporation worth billions, Uber has enormous assets to protect. Therefore, each Uber driver is required to carry $1 million dollars’ worth of insurance for bodily harm and property damage. This is a great deal larger than the minimum insurance many ordinary drivers carry. Thus, Uber may pay out much larger sums to several types of victims through its insurers when compared to individuals harmed in other types of collisions. These include:
- Pedestrians who have been hit by Uber vehicles.
- Passengers in working Uber cars who were injured in an accident that was the fault of the driver.
- Drivers of other vehicles and their passengers hurt in accidents where an on-duty Uber driver was at fault.
- On-duty Uber drivers hurt in accidents where another driver is at fault.
Unfortunately, large companies like Uber and its insurers are unlikely to provide a truly fair payout without a fight. Insurers for deep-pocketed corporations like Uber typically have a strong legal team and highly disciplined insurance adjusters whose job is to ensure that payouts are kept to a minimum. Anyone hurt in a ridesharing accident will likely find themselves offered settlements that may seem large to the uninitiated, but which aren’t sufficient to cover damages to persons and property. That’s why victims and their families need a skilled and experienced Uber accident lawyer fighting for their rights. Danny Russell and his team of litigators at the Russell Law Firm, LLC are top tier professionals who will doggedly pursue your case to the fullest extent of the law.
Yes, You Can Afford an Uber Accident Lawyer
People who are involved in accidents where major companies like Uber are involved are likely to be intimidated into thinking that they are unable to afford legal counsel with the skills to take on highly paid corporate lawyers. The Danny Russell Law Firm, LLC wants you to understand that, no matter how difficult your current financial situation, anyone with a strong case is likely to have access to skilled legal counsel.
That’s because we work on a contingency fee basis. This means we only receive payment for our work once a case has been resolved successfully and money has been paid to our client. The fact of the matter is that most people have a hard time affording legal counsel under standard retainer agreements, and that becomes all the more true during the financial duress of an injury or wrongful death. Contingency fees mean that clients don’t have to pay high retainer fees. This also motivates attorneys to only accept cases that they are confident will yield a good outcome. That prevents lost time and undue heartache for everyone involved.
Prospective clients should also know that the Russell Law Firm, LLC offers free, no-obligation consultations for prospective clients. We make our living by providing outstanding results for our clients, and that’s it.
Personal Injury Law with a Personal Touch
Other personal injury attorneys have locked horns with insurance companies, but very few have the same kind of personal insight on how they lure people into accepting substandard settlements as our head lawyer. As a young man who had recently had his car totaled in a traumatic accident, Danny accepted what he thought was a generous offer from an insurance adjuster. After learning that he had actually been entitled to a great deal more, Danny developed a passion for the law. Today, it’s his mission as the head of the Russell Law Firm, LLC to ensure that his clients never suffer from the same indignity he did.
Interested in an Uber Accident Attorney? Get Started Now!
Whether you or someone close to you has been injured in an Uber accident or if you have any suffered any type of personal injury where another party’s negligence may have been at fault, the Russell Law Firm, LLC wants to hear from you. Call our office at (225) 307-0088 or reach out to us via our contact page.
Frequently Asked Questions for Uber Accident Attorney
This is a great question but the answer is a little complex. There are typically three levels of insurance that could be relevant to an Uber accident, and their applicability depends on the driver’s status at the time of the incident.
To illustrate, if the Uber driver isn’t actively working at the time of the accident – in other words, if they’re not logged into the app, haven’t accepted a ride, or aren’t transporting passengers – they’re considered a regular driver. Consequently, if they’re at fault for an accident, their personal insurance coverage might be sought to compensate for the damages sustained by the injured party.
The Louisiana Department of Insurance and Louisiana statute requires all Louisiana drivers to carry the minimum insurance coverage, which includes:
- $15,000 bodily injury protection for one person.
- $30,000 bodily injury protection for more than one person in a single accident.
- $25,000 coverage for property damage per accident.
In Louisiana, if an Uber driver has the app on but hasn’t accepted a ride request at the time of an accident, they are considered to be “available” or “waiting for a ride request.” In this situation, Uber’s insurance typically provides the following limited coverage if the driver’s personal insurance doesn’t cover all the damages, including:
- Liability coverage: $50,000 in bodily injury per person
- $100,000 in bodily injury per accident
- $25,000 in property damage per accident
This means the injured party can seek coverage in connection with an Uber accident, from the Uber driver’s personal auto insurance first. If the driver’s personal insurance doesn’t fully cover the damages, or if it denies the claim because the driver was engaged in rideshare activities, the injured party can then seek coverage from Uber’s insurance.
When an Uber driver accepts a ride request and is en route to pick up the passenger, the company’s insurance coverage significantly increases to:
- $1,000,000 for third-party liability
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist bodily injury
- Contingent comprehensive and collision up to the actual cash value of the car ($1,000 deductible)
This means that if the Uber driver is at fault for an accident during this period, the injured party can make a claim against this policy in connection with the Uber accident.
According to the National Safety Council, over 700 injury accidents typically occur each day in the U.S. due to distracted driving, which includes those caused by cellphone use.
This statistic is particularly significant in the context of Uber accidents, as Uber drivers rely heavily on their cellphones and apps to earn their income. Their work necessitates frequent interaction with these devices throughout their shifts, whether during the day or night. In addition, the app requires drivers to accept new riders within a 15-second window, a time constraint that can significantly increase distraction. This means drivers may frequently take their eyes off the road for several seconds, thereby potentially compromising road safety as they anticipate their next moves.
The act of reading a cellphone notification and responding to the alert is the very definition of distracted driving. Based on the inherent requirements to be an Uber driver, their actions behind the wheel are directly causing additional crashes, injuries, and fatalities throughout Louisiana.
If you are in an Uber accident in Louisiana, it is important to treat the collision just as you would any other crash, which means you should:
- Safety First: Immediately move to a safe location and assess the physical conditions of everyone, but do not move anyone who is unconscious or in pain unless some impending danger makes it necessary.
- Report the Uber Accident: Once assess everyone physical condition, call 911or your local Emergency Medical Service (EMS), who will then send someone to investigate and provide any medical treatment needed.
Before leaving the scene, be sure to get the “incident number” from the responding officer, so you can later use it to obtain copy of the crash report and all photos and statements taken at the scene.
- Information Exchange: Be sure to also exchange all contact, identification (driver’s license info), and insurance information with all witnesses and persons involved in the Uber accident.
- Photograph Evidence: Photograph the accident scene, the positions of the vehicles involved, all traffic signals and signs, and any debris or markings left on the roadway.
- Additionally, photograph the property damage, license plates, and make/model of all vehicles involved in the Uber accident.
Lastly, photograph any visible injuries on your body that you sustained during the Uber accident. Such photographic evidence can play a significant role in proving the cause of the Uber accident and the extent of your injuries.
- Informing Your Insurance Company: Even if you weren’t at the wheel during the Uber accident, it still needs to be reported to your own insurance company, preferably through attorney. Many insurance policies require the injured party to report any covered occurrence within a specified timeframe, often within 30 days following the accident. Therefore, reporting the accident promptly to your insurer reserves your rights to insurance coverage you may later end up needing.
- Consult an Attorney: While at the scene or upon leaving and seeking medical treatment, contact our skilled Louisiana Uber accident attorneys.Our team is well-versed and experienced in handling Uber accident cases and ready to help you in all aspects of your Uber accident case.
Studies indicate 90% of Uber accidents occur in urban areas, including major cities like Baton Rouge. Since most people take Ubers for nights out on the town, or large events to avoid parking challenges, or to meet friends for dinner without worrying they may have one too many drinks, Uber accidents often occur in highly trafficked areas. The statistics reflect the victims in these crashes were 21% rideshare drivers, 21% rideshare riders, and 58% third-party drivers or passengers.
It’s common for victims of car accidents, including Uber accidents, to assume that the at-fault party’s insurance company will be fair and compensate them for the damages they’ve sustained. However, dealing with insurance companies often proves to be more complicated than expected.
When the case involves a major corporation like Uber, the laws and process are very complex and challenging. Uber’s corporate legal team is usually dispatched immediately after receiving a report of an Uber accident. Why take on and handle such a case on your own, when you can let our experienced Uber accident attorneys handle that for you; especially considering that we do not charge our car accident clients anything unless we obtain a recovery/compensation for them.
Our experienced Uber accident attorneys in Baton Rouge are well-equipped to handle these Uber accident cases. We have a proven track record of successfully advocating for our clients’ rights against corporations and their insurance companies. Even if you’ve already begun the process of pursuing Uber independently, we’re here to assist you.