Malibu Uber Accident Lawyer

You were planning on staying at your work party for just an hour, but you ended up staying past midnight and drained more than your fair share of Cabernet. You decided it wasn’t a great idea to drive from L.A. to your Malibu home in the mountains late at night, so you hailed an Uber. It’s not the first time you’ve used a rideshare service, but this time things were a little different. As you were entering Malibu, your driver ran a red light (it looked like a deserted intersection) and her car was struck by another motorist who had the right-of-way.

Luckily it wasn’t a direct hit, but you both were seriously injured. You’ve broken a few bones and suspect you also have some organ damage, perhaps a ruptured spleen. How long will this set you back? When will you be able to get back on your feet? You and the driver were carted off to the hospital by ambulance and given emergency care.

But you want answers. Why did your driver decide it was okay to run the red light? And who’s actually responsible for your injuries, given that you were an Uber driver’s passenger? You’ll want to meet with a Malibu Uber accident lawyer at Walch Law to sort all of that out. The following is an overview of how liability is determined in Uber accidents, how the process works, and more.

The first step is to make sure everyone is okay and administer emergency first aid where necessary. Unless someone is in a dangerous situation (such as trapped in a burning vehicle), you don’t want to move them, as doing so could cause further injury. If you can move your vehicle out of the road, then you should do so. You also want to call the police and get an official report of the accident.

If you’re able to do so, then you’ll want to take note of the following information (this applies to all accidents, not just those involving rideshare services):

• Names and contact information of any drivers involved in the accident
• License plate numbers and descriptions of all vehicles involved
• Insurance information

Since your accident involved an Uber driver (your driver, in fact), you’ll also want to check the following, which will help your Malibu Uber accident lawyer prepare your claim:

• Is the driver logged into their Uber app? If not, it will affect how your claim is handled.
• Supposing the driver was logged in and searching for riders, then Uber provides up to $50,000 per person in injury liability ($100,000 per incident) and up to $30,000 in property damage coverage.
• Drivers that have accepted a ride and are on their way or who have passengers in the vehicle are covered by Uber for up to $1 million in liability coverage.
• Uber’s First Notice of Loss or Trip/Data Verification page allows you to verify the trip (you’ll enter the Uber driver’s name and other details).
• File an accident report with Uber.

Getting insurance companies to pay out the full amount of your claimed damages (the monetary value of your claimed injuries) is no easy task, but it becomes even more complicated when multiple parties are involved. First of all, resist the urge to accept the first settlement offer; your attorney will be able to fully assess the value of your claim, which in most cases will be much higher than that initial offer. Uber provides liability coverage for passengers and third parties, but the process is anything but straightforward.

Since Uber drivers are not employees in the legal sense of the word, they’re not directly liable for your injuries. People have reported issues with the process of filing claims for injuries involving an Uber driver (whether as passengers or other motorists), including the following:

• Denial of claim (regardless of evidence suggesting the driver’s fault)
• Failure to reply to claims or questions about claims
• Low settlement offers
• Downplaying the seriousness of the injury or claiming the injury was a preexisting condition

You took an Uber precisely because you wanted to avoid an accident or other problems, but things don’t always work out as planned. Fortunately you have the right to file claims for injuries that are another party’s fault. If you’ve been injured because of an Uber driver’s negligence, contact the experienced professionals at the Law Offices of Gary K. Walch, a Law Corporation today. We will work hard to get you the most for your accident—get in touch with us now to learn more.