When you use a rideshare service, you expect safe and reliable transportation. Whether you’re getting a sober ride home or a quick ride to the airport, you put your trust and safety in a rideshare driver’s hands. A rideshare accident not only disrupts your immediate plans, but it also can also have life-changing consequences.
A rideshare service requires a higher degree of road safety and security as it is their job. When a rideshare driver fails to uphold these standards due to distracted driving or any other reason, they’ve failed to provide a safe service to you.
Accident claims can be complex when involving rideshare drivers, as you aren’t the driver but a passenger. You need careful, hardworking, and trustworthy Elgin rideshare accident lawyers to get to the core of this incident.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers has a decades-long track record of experience, hard work, and expertise. An Elgin rideshare accident lawyer from our team can navigate the complex laws of such an incident to help your personal injury case.
A rideshare accident can differ legally from an ordinary car accident. In a typical accident, any responsibility or fault happens between the individual drivers. However, in a rideshare accident, the rideshare company is often an additional party to consider. This can complicate matters in a personal injury case, as the company and driver may split responsibility.
There is also a key difference regarding insurance coverage. The overall rideshare company typically has its own insurance company they use when rideshare services are active. This will need to be considered in addition to the individual driver’s insurance coverage. Insurance coverage will vary depending on the specific rideshare accident, policy, and company involved.
It may be more difficult to secure adequate compensation in a rideshare accident due to the ridesharing company downplaying any injuries or damage that may have occurred. This is why working with a qualified Elgin car accident attorney is imperative to help with your case. We have a lot of experience with Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare services.
A rideshare accident shares common injuries with other car accidents. However, there are some subtle differences within personal injury variations.
- Neck Injuries and Whiplash: Sudden stops or collisions can cause whiplash very easily in car accidents, including a rideshare accident, resulting in injured tissue, ligaments, joints, or bones.
- Brain or Head Trauma: Collisions can result in skull damage, brain swelling, brain bleeding, or other traumatic brain injuries. These can kill or disable.
- Back or Spine Injuries: These cause temporary or permanent damage to the spine, causing mobility or chronic pain problems.
- Broken Bones: Fractures are common in a rideshare accident. This causes pain and mobility problems.
There are a few extra steps to take in rideshare accident cases, such as reporting it via the rideshare app. If you’ve been involved in an accident, you’ll want to assess your current injuries and ensure you can move, walk, talk, and more. You’ll want to immediately call 911 to report the accident and get first responders on the scene.
Even if injuries don’t require hospitalization, medical evaluations are crucial. The police will need to file a report of the accident for reference. This will help your Elgin ridesharing accident attorney when filing a claim.Â
Accidents involving rideshare services have similar common causes as other vehicular personal injury accidents.
- Distracted Driving: When a driver is distracted, their attention is removed from the road and other drivers, leading to collisions.
- Driving Inexperience: Many rideshare drivers rely on GPS to navigate, which can be limiting. Additionally, they may be new to the area or to the job.
- Driver Fatigue: Rideshare drivers who work long shifts to make ends meet may be too tired to drive. They may even fall asleep at the wheel or be too tired to properly concentrate on traffic rules or other drivers, causing an accident.
- Road Rage: Working long hours on the road can lower tolerance for other driver issues. This can cause aggressive driving, which can lead to careless accidents.
- Driving While Intoxicated: Rideshare apps have very strict policies against drunk driving, but some drivers ignore this. Intoxicated driving causes many problems with concentration and coordination.
- Weather or Road Conditions: More time on the road leads to more chances for bad road or weather conditions. When unprepared, both of these factors can cause a car accident.
How an Elgin Ridesharing Accident Lawyer Can Help
An Elgin rideshare accident lawyer can help you in many ways when pursuing compensation. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers provide a free case evaluation or consultation to determine if you have a personal injury case.
An Elgin rideshare injury lawyer will also recover evidence on your behalf, including any traffic camera footage, eyewitness reports, police reports, and medical records. Our legal team can negotiate with the insurance of all parties to ensure proper claim filing and that all reports are accurate and up-to-date.
Our Elgin rideshare accident lawyers are highly trained to represent you in court when you pursue compensation, ensuring you have the best chance of recovering the amount you deserve.
Damages an Elgin Ridesharing Accident Lawyer Can Help You Recover
There are many types of damages our Elgin rideshare accident lawyers can help you recover following an incident.
Economic Damages
- Medical Bills: Treatment in a hospital can result in high medical bills for your injuries, which car accident attorneys can help you recover.
- Lost Wages: Pursuing compensation can help you recover any job loss or lost wages.
Non-Economic Damages
- Relationship Loss: Injuries can strain or risk personal relationships due to lack of intimacy, financial issues, and more.
- Emotional and Mental Health: Trauma and injuries can cause mental health issues due to anxiety, PTSD, and brain trauma.Â
- Loss of Interest in Life: Major injuries, relationship loss, or pain can make daily living difficult, diminishing your enjoyment of life.
Factors Affecting Settlements in Rideshare Accident Claims
There are a few factors that can impact your personal injury claim. These vary from case to case and an Elgin rideshare accident lawyer can review them.
The severity of your injuries is a huge factor. If your personal injury is mild and you can continue daily living and work without issue, your compensation may not be as high as accidents involving severe injuries and impacts on daily living.
Comparative negligence in rideshare accident cases is considered when victims seek compensation. It attempts to measure the percentage of fault each party has in the accident.
For example, if the victim was shouting loudly or slapping rideshare drivers, they may legally share a small responsibility for the accident. Compensation is lowered by that percentage. Your rideshare accident lawyer can help represent you regarding this.
- Rideshare Drivers: Any rideshare drivers engaging in reckless or distracted driving may be held liable.
- Rideshare Companies: If companies hire an inexperienced or unsafe driver, this can contribute to liability in an accident.
- Other Drivers: Drivers who hit or were struck by rideshare drivers may also have contributed to reckless driving.
- Rideshare Passengers: If rideshare passengers distract the driver in any way, this may also be considered, though it is rarer.
There is limited time to contact our Elgin personal injury lawyers. According to the Illinois Statute of Limitations, you must file a personal injury claim within two years of the date of your accident, or you won’t be eligible to file a claim.
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers are highly experienced car accident attorneys who have represented many car accident victims, including rideshare drivers or passengers. Filing car accident claims is a breeze with our free case evaluation and consultation policy. We also offer a generous contingency fee policy that only requires payment for legal services if we are successful in obtaining compensation for you.
You can call our legal team 24/7 at your convenience at (888) 424-5757. Our law firm is here to help you seek compensation.
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