Aberdeen Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer

Countless people trust rideshare companies like Uber, Lyft, and others to get them to their destinations every day. Sadly, just like people driving any other car, some Uber/Lyft drivers will end up being involved in car crashes. Victims of these crashes end up with serious injuries that may result in enormous medical bills and lengthy physical recovery periods.

You can get financial compensation after an Uber or Lyft accident. You first probably want to start negotiating with insurance companies, but if that does not work, you can sue to get a court to award you damages. To have a good chance at being successful in either of those endeavors, though, you are going to need legal counsel.

Get help from our Uber/Lyft accident lawyers by calling Rice, Murtha & Psoras at the number (410) 694-7291.

Insurance Information for Aberdeen Uber and Lyft Accidents

In many ways, legal actions following an Uber/Lyft accident will be similar to those following any other car accident. Something that will not be the same as other car accident cases, though, is the insurance scheme for rideshare drivers. There are many different types of insurance coverage that may come into play in these cases, so our Uber and Lyft accident lawyers will walk you through the insurance policies you may have to seek coverage from in an Uber/Lyft accident.

Regular Auto Insurance

All drivers are required by law to have automotive insurance. However, that insurance will not cover vehicles being used for rideshare services. However, that does not mean that you will never seek coverage from an ordinary policy in an Uber/Lyft accident case. Indeed, if you are in a rideshare vehicle and another driver hits you, you should go after their run-of-the-mill insurance policy, not necessarily your rideshare driver’s coverage.

Commercial Driver’s Insurance

Commercial driver’s insurance (CDI) exists to cover motorists who use their vehicle for commercial purposes. While this does include Uber/Lyft drivers, it also includes any commercial use of a vehicle, like pizza delivery or a company vehicle. Generally, commercial driver’s insurance policies are what you want to look at first, but depending on the circumstances of your claim that may not be the case.

Contingent Collision Coverage

Both Uber and Lyft have something called “contingent collision coverage,” which compensates victims of accidents that happen involving their vehicles. Contingent collision coverage should probably be the first option when seeking compensation after an Uber/Lyft accident.

How much coverage you actually get will depend on some of the circumstances of your accident. For example, Uber offers coverage of up to $1 million for accidents that occur when the driver either has a passenger or is on their way to pick up a passenger. If the Uber driver is active in the app but no ride is queued up, Uber offers $50,000 in coverage instead.

Rideshare Insurance

Rideshare insurance is very similar to CDI, but it is specifically tailored to the needs of individuals who work for rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft. Generally, rideshare insurance exists to cover damages in excess of what contingent collision coverage provides, so it may not always be used in Uber/Lyft accident cases.

Negotiating with Insurance Companies in Aberdeen Uber and Lyft Accident Cases

Seeing as your first move is probably going to involve talking to insurance companies about getting compensation from them, it makes sense to understand how to approach these companies. Make no mistake, even your own insurance company is not your friend. They are a business, and they are in the business of making a profit. Paying out insurance policies runs counter to that goal, so insurance companies, while not necessarily actively looking for ways to deny coverage, will not hesitate to use any reason you give them to do so. For example, even simple statements like “I should have done something” may perk up an insurance company’s proverbial ears and make them not want to provide coverage. Since communicating with insurance companies can be tense, it is better to have our lawyers handle it so there is less of a chance of things going wrong.

Lawsuits After Uber/Lyft Accident Crashes in Aberdeen

If insurance companies are not cooperating, or indeed, if drivers involved in your accident did not have insurance, you can sue in court to get the compensation you are owed. Filing a lawsuit for an Uber/Lyft accident case is going to be similar to filing other car accident claims.

First, you need to file your case on time. Under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101, you will have three years from the time you get hurt to file the vast majority of Uber/Lyft accident cases. While this may seem like a long time, getting enough information to file your claim can easily take up a large portion of that statutory period, as can time spent focusing on recovering from your injuries.

You also have to decide who you are going to sue. You want to sue parties that negligently caused your injuries. This will include the driver who struck you, but you also likely will want to include other parties in your lawsuit.

Once your claim is filed, our lawyers will start gathering more evidence and building a case for you. There is a lot of legal legwork that goes into a claim before it ever goes before a jury. Attorneys must exchange information, witnesses need to be interviewed, and other preparatory work needs to be done. In fact, during that time, you may even be able to resolve your claim outside of a trial. However, if your case does go to trial, our lawyers will present the facts and our legal argument to the court, and the determination of whether the defendant in your claim was liable or not will be up to the jury.

Have Our Aberdeen Uber/Lyft Accident Attorneys Help You Today

Get a free case review from our Uber/Lyft accident attorneys by calling Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291.