Santa Ana Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer

Santa Ana Uber and Lyft Accident Attorney

Rideshare apps are incredibly convenient. These apps screen drivers to make sure they are safe behind the wheel, but mistakes happen, and so do rideshare accidents. If you’ve been involved in a crash involving a rideshare driver, a Santa Ana Uber and Lyft accident lawyer can help you recover damages that could help you make up for lost wages and get your life back on track.

Work With Easton & Easton

Choosing the right law firm is crucial. You need to work with a legal team that is familiar with Uber and Lyft accident cases. Our dedicated Santa Ana personal injury attorney team here at Easton & Easton has handled countless rideshare accident cases during our many years in practice, and we’re perfectly positioned to tackle your complex case, as well.

Whether you were taking an Uber home from work or caught a Lyft to the MainPlace Mall, we can help you hold your rideshare driver accountable for the negligent driving that led to your crash.

How Common Are Uber and Lyft Accidents?

From 2021 to 2022, there were 127 fatal Uber-related crashes, with 97% of these fatalities occurring in an urban environment. Around 29% of the fatalities were riders. Another 16% were drivers. The rest were third parties in other vehicles. According to Uber, 62% of rider and driver fatalities involved risky behavior on the part of an involved third party.

Lyft reports similar numbers. From 2020 through 2022, there were 111 motor vehicle fatalities out of approximately 1.41 billion rides on the Lyft platform.

Why Hire an Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer?

If you’ve been injured in a crash involving a rideshare driver, the first thing you should do once you’re medically stabilized is hire an Uber and Lyft accident lawyer. Your attorney can help you determine whether you have an actionable claim and help you evaluate options for moving forward. They can handle all the details for you, such as:

• Filing paperwork
• Keeping track of deadlines
• Determining liability
• Collecting evidence
• Interviewing witnesses
• Negotiating a settlement
• Litigating your case, if necessary

Hiring an attorney can give you the chance to focus on your recovery while a legal professional takes on the rideshare app’s insurance companies on your behalf, protecting your rights and interests throughout this challenging process. Working with a lawyer is the most effective way to secure just compensation for your injuries and other damages.

Understanding Uber and Lyft’s Insurance Policies

Both Uber and Lyft carry substantial insurance policies to cover the drivers using their apps, but only under certain circumstances. Here’s how their policies apply depending on what status the driver had at the time of the accident:

• Offline. If an Uber or Lyft driver is offline at the time of the crash, they aren’t working. If they cause an accident, their personal car insurance policy applies, and the rideshare company they work for should not get involved.
• Waiting for a request for a ride. If a driver is signed onto the Uber or Lyft app but is still waiting for a request for a ride, Uber and Lyft both provide insurance policies that cover up to $100,000 per accident or $50,000 per person for injuries and up to $25,000 for damage to property.
• Ride accepted or in progress. If the driver has already accepted a request for a ride and is either on the way to pick up the passengers or already has them in the car, the company’s full insurance policy applies.

Lyft and Uber provide $1 million in liability coverage that applies to passengers, pedestrians, and people in other vehicles. This policy comes into effect only if the rideshare driver is determined to be at fault for the crash. However, rideshare companies also carry uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage to protect passengers.

If you were a passenger in a rideshare vehicle, the company should make sure you are well compensated for any injuries or other damages you suffered during an accident caused by one of its drivers. However, you shouldn’t just accept the first settlement offer made by the insurance company. Speak with a rideshare accident lawyer first to determine whether the settlement offer is fair and covers 100% of your damages.

Exceptions to the Rule

Uber and Lyft don’t have insurance policies that cover drivers’ intentional acts. If a rideshare driver injures another person, such as a pedestrian or a cyclist, with their car in a fit of road rage, for example, the company’s policy is unlikely to cover the damages.

What to Do After a Rideshare Accident

You need to take the right steps after a crash to protect not just your health but also your ability to file a claim later. Here’s what to focus on:

• Personal safety. You should move to a safe location and help anyone else injured in the crash get away from the flow of traffic.
• Getting help. Call 911 as soon as possible to report the crash and request medical assistance for anyone who has sustained injuries. Cooperate with the responding officers and make sure you get the report number for the police report before you leave the scene.
• Document everything. Take photos or videos of the accident scene, including vehicle damage, road conditions, traffic signs, and your injuries.
• Screenshot your ride information. Take a screenshot of the trip page on Uber or Lyft. This can provide critical proof of your ride status, the time of the accident, and your driver’s information.
• Exchange information. Get the names and contact details from all the drivers involved and any witnesses to the accident.
• Go to the doctor. Seeking an immediate medical evaluation isn’t just important for protecting your health. It can also help you prove that any injuries you sustained were a result of the crash, not another intervening incident.
• Report the accident. Once you’re medically stabilized, use the app to officially report the accident to Uber or Lyft.
• Hire an attorney. Work with a legal team that understands rideshare accident laws and how to leverage them to get you the results you need. Our trusted Santa Ana car accident attorney team at Easton & Easton brings extensive experience in representing clients injured in complex traffic collisions. We can help.

Try to stay calm following the accident, and don’t speak with anyone about what happened before consulting a lawyer. Don’t post about it on social media, and don’t downplay the severity of your injuries or say anything that could imply that you are accepting fault for the accident. Insurance adjusters look for any excuse to deny claims or reduce the amount of compensation that injury victims are entitled to receive.

When you report the accident to Uber or Lyft, be careful what you say and stick to the basic facts. You don’t need to give a detailed description of your injuries to the insurance adjuster before speaking with a lawyer. We recommend filing your initial claim quickly, then speaking with a lawyer before scheduling a full interview with the insurance adjuster. Otherwise, you could accidentally say something that could jeopardize your claim.

Who Pays for Damages?

The person or entity responsible for compensating you for your injuries depends on who caused the accident and whether you were a rideshare passenger or another driver. Here’s what you need to know:

• Accidents caused by rideshare drivers. If the rideshare driver was at fault and either had riders in the car or was on the way to pick them up, the rideshare company’s liability policy should be your primary source of compensation, whether you were one of the riders or you were in another vehicle. This policy also covers cyclists and pedestrians hit by Uber or Lyft drivers.
• Accidents caused by other drivers. If another driver was at fault for the accident, you’ll need to file a claim with that driver’s insurance company, no matter what role you played in the accident. If they don’t have insurance or their policy limits are too low to cover your expenses, check with your own UM/UIM policy if you were in another car or the rideshare app’s policy if you were a rider.
• Accidents when you are an Uber or Lyft driver. If you were injured as an Uber or Lyft driver by another driver’s negligence, you’ll need to follow the same procedure as a passenger injured by a third-party driver. File a claim against their insurance or, if they were uninsured, use the company’s UM/UIM coverage.

In rare cases, other third parties can be held fully or partially liable for accidents involving Uber or Lyft drivers. Vehicle defects can cause crashes, in which case it’s the auto manufacturer who’s to blame for the crash. Negligent repairs can lead to claims against automotive mechanics or maintenance companies. Road defects are often attributed to the City of Santa Ana Public Works Agency or Caltrans. When motor vehicle crashes result in fatal injuries, families may turn to a reliable Santa Ana wrongful death lawyer to pursue justice.

Can I File a Claim Against Uber or Lyft Directly?

Rideshare drivers are not employees. They are independent contractors, which makes it difficult to make either Uber or Lyft directly responsible for any driver’s negligence. However, you may be able to file a claim against Uber or Lyft if the company was negligent in the hiring or retaining of an incompetent driver. Due to these companies’ binding arbitration clauses, you’ll have to resolve your claim through arbitration instead of taking it to court.

Statutes of Limitations for Uber and Lyft Claims

The statute of limitations in California for personal injury claims is two years from the date of your injuries. That means you’ll have to file your claim within this period or risk losing the right to recover damages from the liable party. If you were under 18 at the time of the accident, the statute of limitations does not begin until you reach the age of majority. You’ll have until you reach the age of 20 to file a claim.

FAQs

Q: Can I File a Claim Against Lyft if I Was in an Accident?

A: You can file a claim against Lyft if you were in an accident caused by one of their drivers. This is true whether you were a passenger in the vehicle or you were driving another car and were hit by a Lyft driver who was on the clock. The value of your claim could depend in part on the driver’s status at the time of the crash.

Q: Does Uber Usually Settle Outside of Court?

A: Uber usually settles outside of court to avoid the expense and publicity of a trial. Your Santa Ana Uber and Lyft accident attorney may be able to negotiate a fair settlement without ever entering a courtroom. However, these companies don’t always offer fair compensation during negotiations, so it’s wise to work with an attorney who has trial experience.

Q: Can I Get Compensation if My Uber Crashes?

A: Whether you can get compensation if your Uber crashes depends on whether you suffered compensable harm during the accident. If you were injured in the crash, you can usually recover compensation. Proving non-economic damages in the absence of economic damages can be challenging, though, as can proving hidden injuries such as minor concussions and psychological trauma.

Q: How Much Does a Rideshare Accident Attorney Cost in California?

A: How much a rideshare accident attorney costs in California depends on the specifics of your case. Rideshare accident lawyers typically charge a contingency fee, meaning that they take a percentage of your recovery to pay legal fees and associated costs. If they don’t recover any money for you, these lawyers don’t get paid.

Your Santa Ana Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer

When you hail a car using a rideshare app, you do so with the assumption that the driver is going to exercise proper caution while behind the wheel. If your driver’s negligence led to a crash, and that crash left you dealing with personal injuries, you can work with a Santa Ana Uber and Lyft accident lawyer to recover damages.

The team here at Easton & Easton is ready to help. We have years of experience in helping professionals and their families protect their rights and interests when serious injuries disrupt their careers and financial stability.

We regularly handle complex injury cases with large settlements and have obtained over $2 billion for our clients so far. However, past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case is different and must be evaluated on its own merits. Learn how we can help you. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation regarding your case today.

Santa Ana, CA Uber and Lyft Accident Legal Resources

• Orange County Superior Court – Central Justice Center & Civil Complex Center Filings
• California Highway Patrol – Collision Report Requests
• Santa Ana Police Department – Traffic Collision Records