Los Angeles Uber Accident Lawyer

If you’re a passenger in an Uber that gets into an accident, your first priority should be safety. Seek medical attention if needed, and call 911 to report the incident. It’s also important to gather information at the scene, including the names of drivers involved, insurance details, license plate numbers, and contact information for any witnesses.

The amount you may receive from an Uber settlement depends on several factors, including:

• The severity of your injuries

• The extent of medical treatment and future care needs

• Lost wages or diminished earning capacity

• Pain and suffering

• Fault and liability in the crash

• Uber’s insurance coverage limits

Uber provides up to $1 million in third-party liability coverage while a ride is in progress, but that doesn’t guarantee a $1 million payout. Settlements vary widely and can range from a few thousand dollars to six or even seven figures for severe or catastrophic injuries. Consulting a rideshare accident attorney is key to evaluating your case and negotiating a fair settlement.

In California, rideshare liability is supposed to be divided up by period of driver activity. Those periods are as follows:

Period 1: While the driver is in their vehicle and has the driving app on their cellphone turned on but doesn’t have any passengers or a ride request.

Period 2: After the driver accepts a ride request and is driving to pick up the rider or riders.

Period 3: Begins when the rider is picked up, and ends when the rider or riders are dropped off.

During Period 1, the driver is covered by their personal auto insurance policy. During Periods 2 and 3, the driver is covered by the rideshare company’s insurance policy. However, most personal auto insurance policies stipulate that a driver’s personal vehicle cannot be used for commercial purposes.

This stipulation gives the driver’s insurance company a technical loophole with which to deny coverage for any accident or injury that occurs during Period 1. Some insurance companies now offer “rideshare insurance,” which covers drivers during Period 1. But, according to the blog The Rideshare Guy, 60 – 80% of drivers don’t carry rideshare insurance.

This means that if you are involved in an accident caused by an Uber driver during Period 1, the driver may not be covered, and you’ll be stuck without compensation for your injuries and losses.

Uber, and other rideshare companies, run minimal background checks on those applying to drive for them. Such background checks will find any recent felony convictions of a potential driver, but they may not uncover arrests in which the charges are dropped, or incidents when drivers were charged but not convicted.

The criminal records of youthful offenders are sealed when they become adults, so a routine background check may not turn up a driver’s violent past. Drivers with serious mental issues can also fly under the radar of a background check. In all of these situations, a rider may be subject to assault or other crimes.