Uber was the pioneer of the ridesharing revolution, and is unsurprisingly the biggest ridesharing company in the world, employing over 4 million drivers across 700 cities and serving about 103 million customers.
Naturally, as more and more people turn towards Uber for their short-term traveling needs, road crashes involving Uber cars are only going to increase. Hence, if you regularly use Uber or plan to do so in the future, you need to be fully prepared for any eventuality. Having a good car accident attorney that you can call whenever you find yourself in an Uber accident will be especially helpful if you need to seek compensation or file a lawsuit.
Important Actions to Take After an Uber Accident
Just like with any other road accidents, you need to call the police as soon as you get caught up in an Uber accident. Normally, that should be the driver’s responsibility but unfortunately, Uber drivers are notoriously reluctant to file accident reports. This is largely attributed to the company’s strict road safety policies, that severely punish drivers involved in accidents.
Nonetheless, for your own safety, insist on calling the local police as soon as you get out of the accident scene. They will seal off and access the scene, record statements from the involved driver(s) and other witnesses, get the driver’s information and compile a comprehensive report of the accident. In case you choose to file a lawsuit, the police report will be of great help to your case.
Another thing to do is acquire the contacts and general personal information about your Uber driver, above and beyond what the police get. If you have your smartphone with you, snap a photo of the license plates and car make, and back it up to secure storage. All these will prove useful in case of a trial. Oh, and don’t forget to also request the police to send you a copy of their report as well.
Lastly and most importantly, seek medical assistance as soon as you possibly can, but preferably within 72 hours of the accident. Even if you feel okay and don’t have any noticeable injuries, getting a full examination and body scan is advisable as it helps to detect any potentially fatal internal injuries. Remember, if you don’t seek treatment within 3 days after an accident, you will have a very hard time proving that any arising injuries were as a result of the incident.
Once you get all your tests and treatments done, remember to gather and safely keep all the medical documentation detailing all the injuries, drug prescriptions and expenses incurred. These details will be vital when determining the compensation amount owed to you by the negligent party.
Who Bears the Biggest Responsibility For Uber Accidents?
Ideally, all the damages and compensation to Uber passengers injured in an accident should be incurred by the relevant driver, or the company itself.
Uber provides a $1 million Third Party Insurance cover to all its drivers to compensate third parties, including passengers, for accidents that occur during legit rides. On top of that, the company requires all its drivers to have valid car insurance, which also compensates third party victims.
In reality, however, getting full compensation after an Uber accident is hard, as both Uber’s and the driver’s insurers will try to play hardball and shift responsibility to other parties. For that reason, it is advisable to include an experienced car accident attorney to represent you in any ensuing negotiations or trials.
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