San Diego Rideshare Accident Lawyer
By providing users with an affordable alternative to driving themselves or using public transportation, ridesharing options like Uber and Lyft have become increasingly popular in recent years. While these forms of transportation are generally considered safe, there are significant dangers that threaten passengers. One major contributor is that Uber & Lyft drivers do not require extra training or licenses to act as employees. In fact, The University of Chicago found that Uber, Lyft, and other app-based driving services are responsible for a 3% increase in traffic-related fatalities since they started their businesses.
When someone else is responsible for your safety, they have a duty to follow regulations and take the necessary precautions to prevent accidents. If another person’s negligence causes you serious injuries, contact Attorney Pajman Jassim of Jassim Law as soon as possible. Experienced in California law, Attorney Pajman Jassim has over 20 years of experience protecting clients across the state. He empathizes with the hardships of accident victims and aims to make communities safer. Contact our San Diego rideshare accident lawyer as soon as possible to learn more about your situation and legal options.
How Our Expert Rideshare Accident Attorneys in San Diego Can Help You
If you are involved in an accident, including an accident involving UBER, LYFT, or other rideshare company, CONTACT US IMMEDIATELY. We are aggressive, thorough, and experienced in getting justice for our clients involved in these types of accidents. We offer each individual client our personal attention – our cases are not delegated to junior attorneys or paralegals. You will be represented by a San Diego Uber and Lyft accident lawyer prepared to try your case if a favorable settlement cannot be reached.
We act fast, making sure your interests are protected from the very start and all the way through. If you do not have health insurance or have trouble getting quality medical care, we can and do assist our clients in making sure they get quality care when the unexpected occurs.
We thoroughly investigate each and every case. We hire investigators and have access to the best accident reconstructionist experts, and other experts needed to prove your case. We are trial attorneys, not settlement attorneys. This means that we prepare the cases for trial, and are ready, willing, and able to take cases to trial if the insurance companies are not being fair – as is often the case. Because we are ready for battle, we often obtain top-dollar settlements for clients because insurance companies and their hired lawyers soon learn that we don’t settle for cheap and are ready for trial.
How to Determine Fault in an Uber and Lyft Accident
Today, we rely upon and use rideshare companies such as Uber, Lyft, UberX, UberPool, etc. daily. They provide a great service, making transportation convenient and safer by preventing drinking and driving and giving access to quick and reliable transportation. Yet, like any mode of transportation, including taxis, there are risks. Not all Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare drivers are “professional drivers” – there are no special certifications, licenses, or training that would make a rideshare driver more skilled or trustworthy than any other stranger giving you a ride.
Until recently, passengers relied upon the insurance of the private individual driver to cover injuries sustained in accidents involving Uber and the like. In 2014, California Senate Bill 2293 was signed into law by Governor Brown, requiring rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft to carry insurance covering passengers and the public generally for injuries sustained in accidents involving these rideshare companies.
When you seek to show the other driver’s fault, you’ll need to gather evidence and information showing their negligence. Finding the written documentation and material for your claim can be challenging when unfamiliar with the legal process. However, when you have a San Diego rideshare accident attorney by your side, you can trust you will have the necessary information to back your claim.
Proving the Other Party’s Negligence and Liability
One essential aspect of rideshare accidents—and also often the hardest to prove—is how the individual’s negligence resulted in the accident and your injuries. To determine this vital aspect of your claim, you will first need to identify the cause of the accident. While there are many causes of rideshare accidents in California, consider the following more common reasons:
- Speeding
- Reckless driving
- Drowsy driving
- Distracted driving
- Drunk driving
- Construction or other road hazards
- Slick roads or poor weather conditions
- Driving in unfamiliar neighborhoods
- Poor vehicle maintenance
Your experienced San Diego rideshare accident lawyer will have the resources and tools to thoroughly investigate your claim and provide the best possible information and legal advice. If you suffer severe injuries in an Uber accident, speak with a San Diego rideshare accident attorney ASAP. California Law allows those severely injured by others’ negligence to file a claim within two years of the accident. Any claims after the two years will be case-by-case and, most often, not recover the full extent of compensation.
Understanding Uber & Lyft Accident Insurance Policies
A significant factor distinguishing a rideshare accident from a standard car accident is the various types of insurance at play. Uber and Lyft require drivers to carry state-regulated personal auto and company insurance policies. Each type of insurance policy covered by the company depends on several factors, including the stage of the ride and the driver’s actions.
The following details information on the specifics of rideshare insurance provided by Uber and Lyft:
- If the rideshare driver is carrying a passenger en route to a destination: minimum of $1,000,000 coverage for death, personal injury, or property damage caused by the rideshare driver.
- If the rideshare driver is in route to pick up a passenger: minimum $1,000,000 for bodily injury
- If the rideshare driver has turned on the mobile app waiting to accept rides: minimum $50,000 for bodily injury
- These coverages are for passengers, and other members of the public, including other drivers, pedestrians, and the like who are involved in an accident with an UBER, LYFT or other rideshare company.
The law also requires uninsured and under-insured coverage to be provided by UBER, LYFT and other rideshare companies for their own drivers who are injured or killed in an accident while driving for the company, waiting to pick up a passenger, or in route to pick up a passenger if the at fault party does not maintain adequate insurance. If you are in need of a rideshare accident attorney in San Diego, contact us at Jassim Law for a free consultation.
Speak With San Diego Rideshare Accident Lawyer About Your Claim
Making sure that rideshare companies are responsible for the harm their drivers may cause is important to making the roadways safer for the public at large. Profits over public safety are never acceptable. Our San Diego rideshare accident lawyers at Jassim Law offer free consultations and are available 24/7. We handle cases in San Diego, Orange County, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Los Angeles County, Bay Area, and Imperial County.
Whether or not the rideshare company is at fault, an UBER and rideshare attorney can help you get the full compensation you are entitled to. Do not let them take advantage of you! Please call (858) 524-6140 or complete our contact form to speak with a San Diego car accident attorney today.
LEGALLY REVIEWED BY:
Pajman and Parisima Jassim
October 30, 2024
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Take The Immediate Following Steps:
- CALL 911 TO HAVE POLICE TAKE A REPORT. SOMETIMES AFTER AN ACCIDENT THE PARTIES DO NOT WANT POLICE CALLED, THIS IS NEVER TO YOUR BENEFIT. YOU SHOULD ALWAYS CONTACT THE AUTHORITIES TO TAKE A REPORT, OBTAIN PARTY NAMES/IDENTITIES, OBTAIN WITNESS STATEMENTS AND INFORMATION, AND FACILITATE THE EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION SUCH AS INSURANCE AND DRIVER’S LICENSES. IF SOMEONE SUGGESTS NOT CALLING THE POLICE, THAT IS USUALLY A RED FLAG!
- TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEO OF THE SCENE, ACCIDENT, AND INJURIES
- OBTAIN THE INSURANCE INFORMATION, NAME, ADDRESS, TELEPHONE NUMBER, AND DRIVER’S LICENSE INFORMATION OF ALL PARTIES INVOLVED.
- IF YOU CAN, TAKE PHOTOGRAPHS OF IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS SUCH AS PROOF OF INSURANCE, AND DRIVER’S LICENSES.
- Write down names, phone numbers, and addresses of all parties and potential witnesses.
- TAKE SCREENSHOTS OF YOUR UBER, LYFT, OR OTHER RIDESHARE APP/RECEIPT.
- IF THE UBER OR LYFT APP DOES HAVE A FEATURE TO REPORT AN ACCIDENT, YOU SHOULD CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO ASSIST YOU IN REPORTING THE ACCIDENT TO UBER, LYFT, OR OTHER RIDESHARE COMPANY.
- IF YOU FEEL INJURED, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO “TOUGH IT OUT” – TAKE AN AMBULANCE AND GET CHECKED OUT AT THE ER. THERE MAY BE INTERNAL INJURIES THAT SHOULD BE EVALUATED BY PROFESSIONALS.
- CONTACT AN ATTORNEY AS SOON AS YOU ARE ABLE. WE PROVIDE 24/7 FREE CONSULTATIONS WITH AN ATTORNEY, WE NOW OFFER “VIRTUAL” CONSULTATIONS THROUGH VIDEO AND ZOOM.
- DO NOT SPEAK WITH INSURANCE ADJUSTERS. THIS MEANS ANY RISK MANAGER FROM UBER OR LYFT, AND INCLUDES ANY INSURANCE COMPANY FOR THE UBER, LYFT, OR OTHER RIDESHARE DRIVER, AND INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR ANY OTHER PARTY. IT IS BEST TO HAVE A QUALIFIED AND EXPERIENCED ATTORNEY REPRESENT YOUR INTERESTS. INSURANCE COMPANIES ARE INTERESTED IN PROTECTING THEIR MONEY, NOT YOU UNFORTUNATELY.
- DO NOT ACCEPT ANY OFFERS TO HAVE SOMEONE PAY YOU MONEY OR PAY YOU WITHOUT GOING THROUGH INSURANCE. THIS PRACTICALLY NEVER WORKS OUT WELL, AND IS VIRTUALLY NEVER TO YOUR BENEFIT. THESE TYPES OF OFFERS SHOULD BE MET WITH SKEPTICISM AND TREATED AS A RED FLAG!
