Houston, TX Uber & Lyft Accidents Lawyers Providing Legal Assistance to Victims Suffering from Rideshare Accident Injuries

Scheduling a ride in an Uber or Lyft vehicle to get across town has become a common choice in recent years. After all, the process of sending a ride request is simple, and getting into a car operated by a rideshare driver often seems safer than driving yourself while intoxicated or fatigued. But no matter how much you trust Uber and Lyft drivers to get you to your destination safely, there’s always a chance that they’ll end up in a car accident. Whether you’re a passenger in their vehicle or you’re in another car on the road, accidents involving rideshare companies can lead to serious injuries.

If you trusted an Uber or Lyft driver to take you to your destination, and you ended up badly wounded from a car accident, you should get legal assistance from a law firm that has handled claims involving rideshare companies. Working with experienced rideshare accident attorneys in Houston can help you pursue the compensation you need to pay for your medical bills, property damage, and more. Contact Milano Legal Group, PLLC, for a free consultation to discuss your legal options today.

What Should You Do After an Accident Involving Uber or Lyft?

When it comes to Uber and Lyft accidents, time is of the essence, so you need to act quickly to protect yourself immediately after a car accident. Following these steps can help:

Call 911. If the Uber or Lyft driver hasn’t done so already, your first step should be to call the police to report the accident. The driver will need to fill out an accident report before filing an insurance claim, so it’s important to get the police to the scene within minutes. When you call, you should request an ambulance if you or another passenger need emergency medical care.

Stay at the Scene. It’s important that you stay at the scene of the accident. As the passenger in an accident involving an Uber or Lyft driver, you will need to give a witness statement. This could help with any insurance claims, as it’s useful to have a detailed account of how the car accident occurred. While you’re at the scene of the car crash, you should take pictures of your injuries and the damage to the vehicles involved.

Get Medical Care. If you’re seriously injured in an accident, you should consider taking an ambulance to the hospital. Severe injuries, such as head wounds and broken bones, require immediate medical attention. If you have minor injuries, you can go home and schedule an appointment with your doctor as soon as possible. Either way, make sure you get treatment, as your medical records and healthcare bills serve as proof of your injuries if you file an accident claim with insurance.

Report the Car Accident to the Rideshare Company. Uber and Lyft both make it easy to report car accidents in the app. As soon as your emergency medical needs have been met, be sure to report the crash on Uber or Lyft. This way, you have proof that you were involved in an accident in a rideshare vehicle, which may help with your claim in the future.

Call Houston Rideshare Accident Lawyers. Your final step should be to contact an accident lawyer who has handled cases involving rideshare services. The right law firm can take on your personal injury claim, so you don’t have to worry about the details. You can focus on getting the medical treatment you need while your rideshare attorney handles the legal aspects of your case.

If you were already in an Uber or Lyft accident and didn’t take all these steps directly afterward, don’t worry. If it happened recently, there’s still time to hire an experienced injury lawyer to take on your case. Just keep in mind that the sooner you contact a personal injury lawyer to discuss the circumstances of the accident, the better. You don’t want the details of the collision to fade from your memory, and you deserve to get compensation for the crash as soon as possible.

If it’s been weeks or months since the car accident and you’re planning to talk to a lawyer soon, make sure you get medical treatment for your injuries. Some injuries from car accidents take time to develop, so it’s understandable if you didn’t get immediate care. Just let your lawyer know what your injuries were, and keep your receipts from your doctor appointments so you can include your medical expenses in your accident claim with car insurance.

Who Will Be Held Liable for Your Injuries After a Ridesharing Accident?

Serious car accidents can wreak havoc on your physical, mental, and financial health. This is why recovering compensation after an Uber or Lyft accident is recommended. But one question you might have is who should be held liable?

If you’re not sure whose auto insurance company to bring a claim against, you should talk to your accident lawyer to determine this. It may depend on the details of the rideshare accident, but in general, ridesharing companies have insurance policies that provide coverage to drivers and passengers involved in a crash.

What If You Were a Passenger Using Ridesharing Services?

If you were riding in an Uber or Lyft vehicle when the rideshare accident happened, you can make a claim against the rideshare company’s insurance. Both Uber and Lyft have insurance coverage for passengers who are injured when a rideshare accident occurs en route to their destination. So as long as the Uber app or Lyft app is turned on and a driver accepts your ride request before the crash occurs, you’re covered by the policy that the rideshare company has for passengers. The policy should include coverage for bodily injury and property damage for each passenger.

What If You Were Hit by an Uber or Lyft Driver?

If your vehicle was hit by a Lyft driver or an Uber driver on a Houston highway or street, you should still be able to recover compensation from the ridesharing service’s insurance policy. This is because Uber and Lyft both provide insurance coverage to rideshare drivers who have the app turned on and are therefore working for the rideshare service at the time of the accident. So even when Uber and Lyft drivers are on their way to pick up their passengers or are waiting for them to get in the vehicle, Uber and Lyft insurance should apply if they’re involved in an accident.

The same goes for pedestrians who suffer injuries due to being hit by an Uber or Lyft driver. If you were crossing the street and were hit by a car driven by a Lyft or Uber driver who had the Lyft or Uber app on, you can pursue damages from the insurance company that covers the ridesharing service.

What If the Uber or Lyft App Was Off at the Time of the Rideshare Accident?

There is one situation in which Uber and Lyft drivers are not covered by the insurance policies of the rideshare services, and that’s when they were offline. This means the accident occurred when the driver did not have the ridesharing app on and was, therefore, just driving their personal car. Since Uber and Lyft drivers are independent contractors who drive their own personal vehicles, the ridesharing services they work for cannot provide insurance coverage to them in their free time.

In this scenario, you cannot sue Uber or Lyft or request compensation from their insurance policies. Instead, you would have to seek compensation from the personal insurance policy held by the at-fault driver, just as you would with a driver who doesn’t work for a rideshare service.

No matter which of these situations may apply to you, it’s important to talk to Uber or Lyft accident lawyers as soon as possible so you can begin your insurance claim. Houston Uber and Lyft lawyers have the experience and knowledge necessary to identify the liable parties so accident victims can take legal action and pursue compensation. Come to Milano Legal Group, PLLC, for a free case evaluation as soon as you’re ready to discuss the details of your Lyft or Uber accident with our compassionate legal team.