Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing apps have changed the landscape of transportation. We no longer have to drive ourselves, hail a taxi, or call family or friends for a ride. Instead, we can hail and pay for a ride from a nearby rideshare driver, all through a convenient smartphone app. As much as these rideshare companies have expanded our transportation options, accidents involving rideshare vehicles have raised significant questions, including:
What happens if you get in a car accident while riding in a rideshare vehicle? Which insurance is involved? How do you ensure that your injuries are covered?
Portner Bond, PLLC has extensive experience working with accident cases. Therefore, they can work hard to get a full and fair settlement for you.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a rideshare accident, it’s important that you contact an experienced Beaumont rideshare accident attorney today.
Portner Bond, PLLC serves community members of Vidor, Orange, and the Beaumont-Port Arthur Metropolitan area, helping to ensure the financial security of and legal justice to South Texans.
We have over 70 years of combined experience and understand the intricacies of the legal process. We know that this is probably one of the most stressful times in your life, and we’d be honored to help take some of that burden off of your shoulders.
Call us at (409) 838-4444 today or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.
Do I Need a Rideshare Accident Lawyer?
Dealing with any car accident is stressful, and rideshare accidents add additional complications. You need an experienced attorney to help you with the complicated process and ensure that everything is filed correctly and on time. Just missing one deadline or taking one legal misstep can cost you everything.
Companies like Uber and Lyft carry high-dollar insurance policies and have teams of aggressive litigators ready to take on anyone that files a claim against them. If you try to handle a rideshare accident lawsuit without the help of an attorney, you will most likely end up walking away with little or no compensation.
Their insurance representatives are going to approach you and try to bully you into taking a one-time, low-dollar settlement. These companies have the money but will do anything to keep from paying out what you deserve.
You could be entitled to compensation to cover your present and future medical bills, physical therapy, loss of wages, emotional distress, pain and suffering, and more. Without the help of a skilled rideshare accident attorney, you could end up with nothing, leaving your accruing bills entirely up to you to cover.
At Portner Bond, PLLC, we know how to handle the big insurance companies. We also understand the process of filing a claim, investigating an accident, and building an air-tight case. We know how to win cases because we’ve been doing it for over seven decades. Let us take your case and help you navigate the legal process following your rideshare accident.
Why Choose Portner Bond, PLLC?
At Portner Bond, PLLC, we have over 70 years of experience in commercial cases, personal injury cases, and medical malpractice. We have an expansive legal network of investigators, medical professionals, accident recreation experts, legal aids, and attorneys that are committed to treating every case as our most important.
We have a track record of winning cases and helping clients, and we intend to keep it that way. Our lawyers at Portner Bond, PLLC take a straight-forward, aggressive approach to litigation and commit to working tirelessly for you every step of the way.
Our attorneys, Trent Bond, Chris Portner, and Tom Kiehnhoff, represent everyday Texans against the big companies, doing our part to make our communities just a little bit better. At Portner Bond, PLLC, you’re not just our client – you’re family.
Call us now at (409) 838-4444 to schedule a free consultation about your rideshare accident case.
Common Causes of Rideshare Accidents
As with any vehicle, there is a multitude of reasons that a rideshare accident can occur. It’s frightening to put your life into the hands of a stranger, but when you call a rideshare vehicle, you’re expecting professional and safe driving. If your driver chooses to be negligent or unsafe while driving you, accidents can quickly happen.
One of the scariest things about riding with a rideshare driver is that they are pretty much always distracted to a degree. The drivers are required to have their apps active all the time and to respond to requests while driving.
Furthermore, since they have to follow a map to get you to your location, they have to glance at their phone continuously. This level of distraction while driving can have serious consequences.
Beyond the possibilities of distracted driving, rideshare accidents can occur for several other reasons including, but not limited to, the following:
- Speeding, or reckless driving
- Hazardous weather conditions
- Unsafe road conditions
- Vehicle malfunction
- A third-party driver’s negligence
Whatever the reason for your rideshare accident, Portner Bond, PLLC can help you start the claims process and deal with the aftermath.
Common Rideshare Accident Injuries
If you’ve been involved in a rideshare accident, you could be suffering from serious injuries. It’s essential that, following an accident, you immediately go to a hospital for a thorough medical examination. Some injuries don’t manifest themselves right away, so even if you feel okay, you must have a medical professional take a look.
Common rideshare accidents include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Head injuries – If your head hits a window, seatback, or another solid surface, you could be facing a concussion, bruise, or something much worse. One of the most common and most devastating car accident injuries that occur is a traumatic brain injury. TBIs can lead to lifelong mental issues and usually demand extensive surgeries and physical therapy.
- Neck injury – Your neck is a susceptible part of your body and can easily be injured in a car accident. One of the most common injuries people face in rideshare accidents is whiplash. Whiplash can harm the ligaments in your neck and spinal discs. Severe cases can even lead to memory loss and lifelong pain.
- Broken bones and muscle tears – The sheer impact of a rideshare accident can lead to broken bones and muscle injuries all over the body. While some fractures can heal in a matter of weeks, many times, broken bones and muscle tears can take months of physical therapy and leave you unable to work for an extended time.
- Burns – Hot vehicle parts and fire can leave rideshare accident victims with devastating burns. Some surface-level burns can heal quickly, but deep tissue burns are excruciatingly painful and can necessitate skin grafts and other extensive surgery.
These are just some of the potential injuries you could be facing after a rideshare accident. Medical bills, physical therapy, and hospital visits add up quickly. You must contact a rideshare accident lawyer that can help you cover these damages with a fair settlement.
How Do Insurance Policies Work in a Rideshare Accident?
One of the problematic things following a rideshare accident is figuring out which insurance policies are involved and how to navigate the insurance system. If you have been the victim of a rideshare accident, there are generally three insurance policies involved:
- The rideshare company’s liability policy – This is to cover accidents caused by the driver
- The third-party driver’s insurance – This would be at play if another driver caused the accident
- The rideshare company’s uninsured/underinsured policy – This is to cover accidents caused by a third-party vehicle if the third-party driver doesn’t have insurance
Rideshare companies carry extensive insurance policies. Uber, in particular, has a $1 million liability policy. But even with these large policies, these companies do not want to accept liability, nor pay out high dollar amounts.
It’s so crucial that if you get into an accident while using a rideshare app, you and the driver both report the accident to the company, file a police report, and then say nothing to anyone until you have spoken to your lawyer.
Only a rideshare accident lawyer can help you stand up to the insurance companies and get the settlement you need to cover your damages.
Can the Rideshare Company be Held Liable?
Big rideshare companies, such as Lyft and Uber, often get out of being held liable because of the way they define their drivers. They do not classify their drivers as employees. Instead, they call their drivers independent contractors. This distinction allows the companies to avoid being liable for their employees’ actions.
However, as a rider, you are covered by the company’s liability insurance and can benefit from their insurance without having to prove that the rideshare companies are at fault.
But, that liability insurance generally does not cover accidents that occurred if the driver is not signed into the app. In that case, the driver’s personal insurance would be used to cover any damages.
Handling the complicated insurance policies of a rideshare company can be overwhelming. Contact Portner Bond, PLLC today at (409) 838-4444, and we’ll help you understand the process and ensure your rights.
Contact Us Today
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a rideshare accident, you need an experienced attorney by your side. At Portner Bond, PLLC, we are committed to helping ease your financial burden by working to secure the compensation you deserve.
We offer an initial consultation at no cost to you. We’d love to sit down with you, go over the details of your case, and get to know each other on a personal level.
So contact us online or call us today at (409) 838-4444 to schedule your appointment.