Huntington Beach
Uber Accident LawyerDo You Need a Huntington Beach Uber Accident Lawyer?
The Uber/Lyft accident lawyers at Coast Car Accident Lawyers have recovered millions for car accident victims. Schedule a free consultation to begin building your case.
Huntington Beach Uber Accident Lawyer
Our Huntington Beach car accident law firm provides clients with the experience, knowledge, and professionalism needed for a personal injury case.
Our Huntington Beach car accident law firm provides clients with the experience, knowledge, and professionalism needed for a personal injury case. If you were injured in a car accident as a result of Uber or Lyft, our team of Lyft/Uber accident lawyers in Huntington Beach will fight to hold them accountable. Our personal injury law firm has established a winning reputation with a 99% success rate. To learn more about our services and begin building your case, schedule a free consultation.
How to File a Personal Injury Claim after an Uber/Lyft Accident
An accident involving an Uber driver or Lyft driver is vastly different from a regular car accident in Orange County. Because rideshare passengers, multiple drivers, and other third parties can be involved in the crash, recovering compensation will be more difficult and the process will take much longer. Therefore, filing a personal injury claim against the appropriate party will prove to be challenging for claimants. The main areas of focus will vary depending on the party who was injured. They include the following.
- Liability: California is an “at-fault” state, which means that all negligent parties who are found guilty of causing the accident will be held accountable. For example, if a negligent Lyft/Uber driver broke a traffic law and also had previous moving violations, both the driver and rideshare company could be found liable.
- Uber and Lyft Insurance Policies: Depending on the circumstances, rideshare passengers are typically protected by a $1 million commercial liability insurance policy that both Uber and Lyft are required by California law to have. Other injured victims, like other motorists, may not be eligible for this commercial coverage.
- Uninsured/Underinsured Coverage: Uber and Lyft do require that all drivers possess coverage from an auto insurance company. However, because rideshare drivers are on the road for longer periods of time and because they are transporting other people regularly, coverage typically does not cover all damages.
- Statute of Limitations: In the state of California, people are given two years to file a personal injury claim against the accused at-fault party. The policy is the same in a Lyft or Uber accident. However, if the crash involves a government vehicle, like a city bus or United States Postal Service (USPS) truck, the statute is only six months.
Because so many of these regulations are circumstantial, injured victims will benefit from the expertise of a qualified Huntington Beach car accident lawyer. In addition, legal representation protects victims from being deceived by insurance companies who may misinform victims of how much compensation they are actually entitled to. Our law offices offer free case evaluations to prospective clients and provide case value estimations.
What to Do After a Huntington Beach Uber or Lyft Accident
Because of the statute of limitations and time-sensitive evidence, it’s important that a victim immediately begin building his or her personal injury case after the accident. Following an incident with an Uber driver or Lyft driver, take the following steps.
- Contact the authorities: Call 911, regardless if the rideshare driver advises against it. Passengers and other injured drivers should immediately notify the authorities that a crash occurred and request their presence. California Highway Patrol (CHP) will document the event and create a police report, which is a valuable piece of evidence.
- Take pictures and videos: Even if you are a passenger, whose car was not damaged, document the accident scene. Photographic evidence will visualize the extent and severity of the crash. Additionally, take pictures of any injuries that were sustained.
- Exchange information: Passengers and other drivers involved in the car crash must ensure they have the rideshare driver’s correct contact information and insurance information. Then, report the accident to Uber or Lyft. If other motorists were involved in the crash, collect their names and insurance information, as well.
- Schedule a doctor’s appointment: Regardless if you are visibly hurt or sustained minor injuries, seek medical attention after the car crash. Serious injuries, like internal bleeding or traumatic brain injury (TBI), can be life-threatening or cause permanent disabilities. In addition, delayed treatment can be used to hurt a Lyft/Uber accident case, because the at-fault party can allege the injuries were not serious or were not caused by the accident. Additionally, retain all medical bills, so there is a record of all accrued costs.
- Consult with a Huntington Beach Lyft or Uber accident lawyer: The other party’s insurance company will contact the victims after the crash has been reported. Avoid speaking to insurance adjusters until you have consulted with experienced Huntington Beach car accident attorneys. Insurers try to persuade victims into accepting early settlements, and unfortunately, victims accept these offers not realizing how much their case is actually worth. In other instances, insurers can mislead victims into taking fault for the car accident, allowing them to reject car accident claims entirely. Legal representation from a qualified car accident lawyer will protect victims from being taken advantage of by the insurance company.
Uber and Lyft Insurance Coverage for Car Accident Victims
Liability coverage from a Lyft accident or Uber accident in Huntington Beach works differently than other local motor vehicle accidents. The ridesharing companies are required to have a minimum of $1 million in liability coverage. However, claimants can only benefit from this car accident coverage if the ridesharing app is on. If the app is off, Uber or Lyft is not responsible for damages. Therefore, even if a passenger has not been picked up, but the rideshare driver is en route and crashes into another car, Uber/Lyft would have to provide coverage.
In many personal injury cases, the rideshare company will be responsible for any remaining costs after the driver’s personal insurance policy has been exhausted. Typically, coverage can be broken down into $25,000 in property damage, $50,000 in bodily injury per person, and $100,000 in bodily injury per auto accident with the Uber or Lyft vehicle. Therefore, ridesharing passengers, as well as other motorists who were harmed by the Uber/Lyft driver can qualify for the policy; this includes pedestrian accidents and motorcycle accidents.
Injured personal injury victims can seek damages for economic damages (out-of-pocket losses), as well as non-economic damages (intangible losses). Examples of such damages include the following.
- Current medical bills – doctor exams, ambulance bills, surgeries
- Future medical expenses – physical therapy, pain management
- Property damage – vehicles or personal property that was destroyed or repaired
- Lost wages – time missed from work due to injury
- Loss of earning potential – injuries and disabilities that prevent the ability to work
- Pain and suffering – physical and psychological damage
- Loss of enjoyment of life – disfigurement, mental trauma, or other torment affect life outlook
- Wrongful death – financial recovery for the loss of a loved one
How a Huntington Beach
Car Accident Lawyer Can Help
Navigating through the legal landscape in order to recover fair and full compensation is challenging. That challenge becomes more complicated when dealing with large companies like Uber and Lyft. They undoubtedly have the unlimited resources to put up a tough legal battle. This is why it’s crucial that rideshare accident victims equip themselves with the necessary support and guidance.
At Coast Car Accident Lawyers, we are devoted to our clients and provide them with the fundamental legal backing to not only win their personal injury case but to maximize their compensation as well. We are successful in accomplishing these undertakings due to our extensive experience with California’s traffic laws and aggressive negotiating skills.
Our Huntington Beach Uber accident lawyer only represents victims of rideshare crashes, which include passengers, other motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other parties who were harmed. Our working knowledge and refusal to yield to unjustifiable settlement offers from the insurance companies is what has led to our 99% success rate and millions recovered for our deserving clients.
We are committed to results; this is why our law offices work on a contingency fee basis. Our firm does not charge any upfront fees, and clients do not pay until their case is won. After a Lyft or Uber accident, insurers will plot to minimize the payout that is owed to injured rideshare victims. Consult with our Huntington Beach car accident attorneys before speaking with insurance adjusters. Schedule a free case assessment to learn how much your case is worth and begin developing your legal strategy today.
Uber and Lyft Car Accidents and Facts
With near-perfect weather all year long, the beach cities of Southern California garner a high velocity of tourist attraction annually. Tourism combined with Huntington Beach’s growing population (approximately 200,000 residents) has naturally increased the number of cars including rideshare vehicles on busy roads, like Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Beach Blvd. As a result, there has been an influx in car accidents.
Uber/Lyft Accident Statistics in Huntington Beach, California
Similar to other automobile-related accidents, Lyft and Uber accidents are often a result of driver negligence. Lack of attention behind the wheel has accounted for the following motor vehicle accident statistics.
- Fatal accidents: 18
- Fatal accidents involving drunk drivers: 6
- Number of fatalities: 19
- Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents: 8
Additionally, it has been found that with the rise in rideshare services, that has been a 3% increase in traffic-related deaths in the US. This is based on the correlation between accidents and traffic congestion. Referred to as “deadheading,” Uber drivers and Lyft drivers slow down traffic by spending 40% – 60% of their time looking for passengers at the intended pick-up point. Uber has put out safety reports refuting the claims that ridesharing services contribute to car accidents. However, much of the reported information has been questioned by data scientists.
Dangerous Roads
Ridesharing accidents can involve other vehicles, like commercial trucks, motorcycles, or those traveling by means of non-motor transportation, like bicyclists and pedestrians. It has been found that the following highways and intersections are some of the most accident-ridden.
- Ellis St. and Newland Ave.
- Magnolia St. and Yorktown Ave.
- Adams Ave. and Newland Ave.
- Garfield St. and Magnolia Ave.
- Bushard St. and Hamilton St.
Contact Coast Car Accident Lawyers
As Southern California’s premiere Uber and Lyft accident attorneys, our law firm can be your advocates throughout your legal journey. We are committed to providing the strongest legal representation to the citizens of Huntington Beach, as well as throughout Orange County. We understand how difficulties and stresses you are enduring. Allow a personal injury lawyer from Coast Car Accident Lawyers to assist you during this challenging time. To learn more about our law firm and how we can help, schedule a free case evaluation today.