Randallstown, MD Uber & Lyft Accident Lawyer

Companies such as Uber, Lyft, and others provide very convenient transportation options for Randallstown residents. At your fingertips is the ability to get where you need to go quickly, and it is often a safe way to get home after a night out in town. Unfortunately, Uber/Lyft drivers are no more immune from getting into motor vehicle accidents than any other driver, and, just like any other car crash, victims can end up with serious injuries that require expensive medical care.

If you are injured due to an accident involving a rideshare vehicle, we can help you. Our attorneys have the professionalism and experience to handle these cases effectively and get you the best possible outcome. We will not stop fighting for you until we have exhausted all legal avenues for your claim.

For us to review your claim for free, reach out to Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s Uber/Lyft accident attorneys by calling (410) 694-7291.

Who Can You Get Compensation From in an Uber/Lyft Accident Claim in Randallstown, MD?

What is likely at the forefront of a plaintiff’s mind in their claim is what level of compensation they are going to get and from whom. In a rideshare accident case, there are a number of parties you can get financial compensation from, depending on your circumstances.

Uber or Lyft

You cannot, unfortunately, take Uber or Lyft to court for an accident involving one of their drivers. This is because the driver is an independent contractor, not an employee. Accordingly, no liability passes on to the relevant rideshare company.

However, that does not mean that Uber or Lyft cannot compensate you. Both companies offer what is called contingent collision coverage, which provides up to $50,000 in potential coverage for accidents involving a rideshare driver logged in and working but with nobody in the vehicle and up to $1,000,000 in coverage for accidents involving a rideshare driver who has a passenger in their vehicle or is en route to pick one up.

Private Insurance Policies

What will likely be the first source you look to for compensation in a rideshare accident claim will be the driver’s personal insurance. However, the policy will not be an ordinary automotive insurance policy. Instead, rideshare drivers are required to either have rideshare insurance or commercial driver’s insurance. From a plaintiff’s perspective, these policies operate in similar ways. The truncated version of how these policies work is that regular automotive insurance does not cover crashes that occur when a driver is using their vehicle for work. Accordingly, these additional policies pick up the slack.

However, if you are alleging that a different driver injured you in an accident while you were an Uber/Lyft vehicle passenger, that driver’s automotive insurance policy will be the correct policy to look to for coverage.

How Long Do I Have to File a Rideshare Accident Lawsuit in Randallstown, MD?

There is a deadline for filing your rideshare accident lawsuit that is known as a statute of limitations. These laws put time limits on how long plaintiffs have to file claims. For the vast majority of personal injury claims – including those for rideshare accidents – the statutory period is three years per Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101. Once time is up, courts cannot hear your case and you cannot get damages. For that reason, it is important that you contact our Uber and Lyft accident lawyers as soon as you can.

Why Do Uber and Lyft Accidents Happen in Randallstown, MD?

Car accidents happen for all kinds of reasons, and no two crashes will be exactly the same. However, there are some factors affecting Uber and Lyft drivers that make it more likely for these drivers to get into accidents.

Distracted Drivers

A major cause of rideshare accidents is distracted driving. Many rideshare drivers rely on GPS systems on their phones to get where they are going, especially in unfamiliar territory. It is easy for a rideshare driver to get engrossed in their navigation system and stop paying attention to their surroundings, leading to an accident.

Since the driver’s phone is literally right in front of them, there is also the possibility that they are tempted to use the device for other purposes like texting or making phone calls. Texting while driving is incredibly dangerous and can easily lead to a motor vehicle accident.

Rushed Driving

There are a lot of pressures for Uber drivers to get passengers where they need to be in a hurry. First, Uber/Lyft drivers are paid per ride, so the more rides they complete in a shift, the more they get paid. The faster a driver drops someone off, the faster they can get to another ride in the queue. Second, passengers who arrive at their destination more quickly may be more likely to leave a tip, which can increase income for a rideshare driver. Those pressures and more make it easy for an Uber or Lyft driver to elect to ignore speed limits and other traffic rules.

Inexperience

There are few experiential requirements for being an Uber or Lyft driver. Generally, the only requirements are that the car is not very old and the driver is at least of a certain age. This means that it is really a coin toss as to whether you get a careful, responsible driver or a negligent one. Many drivers who choose to work with Uber or Lyft do not have the skills or experience necessary to be effective at the job, and they may get into car accidents as a result.

Reach Out to Our Randallstown, MD Uber & Lyft Accident Attorneys Now

Do not hesitate to contact Rice, Murtha & Psoras’s Uber/Lyft accident lawyers today by calling (410) 694-7291.