The popularity of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft has led to an entirely different kind of motor vehicle accident and injury claim. If the negligence of a rideshare service driver causes you injuries, you could have a legal claim for damages against multiple parties.
Your Richardson Uber and Lyft ridesharing accident lawyer can be instrumental in helping you maintain a legal case for recovery of damages against all liable parties.
Measuring Damages in a Ridesharing Accident Case
Injuries in a ridesharing accident can negatively affect all aspects of your life. You can sue the parties whose negligence is responsible for causing your injuries. These accidents typically leave you with two different types of losses.
- Economic losses refer to definite financial losses that result from your injuries, such as medical bills or lost wages from being unable to work.
- Non-economic losses refer to consequences that may not have a negative financial effect on you but still cause harm to you. These damages can include pain and suffering and mental distress.
Furthermore, in cases of extreme recklessness, like drunk driving accidents, you may be able to seek exemplary or punitive damages. Texas law places caps or limits on the amount of exemplary damages that you can recover in any type of personal injury case. However, Texas law places no such caps or limits on your recovery of economic or non-economic damages in your ridesharing accident case.
Allowing Our Law Firm to Guide You Through the Legal Process
Various situations might cause you to suffer injuries due to the negligence of an Uber or Lyft driver. You could be:
- The passenger of a rideshare driver
- A driver or passenger in another vehicle that becomes involved in an accident with a rideshare driver
- A pedestrian, bicyclist, or motorcyclist who suffers harm when a rideshare driver strikes you
Whatever your situation, you could have a legal claim against the driver and the rideshare company. Fighting back against big insurance companies who are determined to minimize your injuries and pay you as little as possible is not easy. You could recruit attorneys to stand up for your rights and work to recover damages for your losses, though.
Since 2002, we have been consistently working for the best possible outcomes for our clients in their injury cases. We know how to negotiate with insurance companies and strive to maximize any available recovery in your case. Together, we can build a strong case on your behalf. Your lawyer will work to reach the most positive result possible based on the facts of your case.
Our Law Firm Is Devoted to Supporting Richardson Families Afected By Accidents
The lawyers at our firm serving Richardson are ready to help you navigate the complex process of getting a financial recovery for your Uber and Lyft accident injuries. We are here to:
- Meet all deadlines in your case, including court filing deadlines
- Investigate the circumstances that led to your accident
- Gather evidence to support your case
- Evaluate and document the severity and permanency of your injuries
- Negotiate with the insurance company to settle of your claim
We consult and retain experts when needed to support your case, including accident liability experts, medical experts, and economic experts. We have experience handling these types of accident cases and representing the interests of injury victims throughout their legal proceedings.
Determining Liability for Your Injuries After a Ridesharing Accident
Determining the liable parties for your injuries in a ridesharing accident is not always straightforward. When a regular motor vehicle accident harms someone, a negligent driver is typically liable for the costs of the injuries to that person. However, a ridesharing accident raises the possibility of another party’s involvement. In this case, that could be the ridesharing company.
Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing companies are likely to aggressively fight back against any suggestion of liability when one of their drivers causes an accident. They go to great lengths to maintain their drivers as independent contractors rather than employees. Companies do this despite maintaining million-dollar insurance policies on their drivers.
The Driver’s Use of the App When the Accident Occurred Is Important
You could sue Uber or Lyft for injuries in your accident in Texas. The app’s status is significant, however. Some of the factors that determine the liability of a rideshare company for an accident include:
- Whether the rideshare driver was transporting a paying passenger at the time the accident occurred
- Whether the rideshare driver was online, available, and actively waiting for a ride request from a passenger
- Whether the rideshare driver was en route to pick up a passenger at the time of the accident
- Whether the rideshare driver was offline or not awaiting a ride request at the time of the accident
Your attorneys can help you determine these crucial details, which can drastically affect the insurance coverage available in your case. We can investigate the facts of your case to identify all potentially liable parties and sources of financial recovery.
Understanding the Time Limits on Your Legal Claim
Getting legal advice as quickly as possible following a Uber or Lyft ridesharing accident can be critical to your case. Texas law puts a time limit or a statute of limitations on your ability to file a case for your injuries in court. Filing your case within two years of the date of your accident is generally necessary to meet this filing deadline.
Failing to meet this deadline can mean losing the chance to get any recovery from your injury from those responsible for harming you. This situation can leave you with piles of medical bills and nowhere to turn for relief. You also may have no way to hold the liable parties accountable for their negligent actions.
Count on Us to Represent Your Interests Every Step of the Way
An Uber and Lyft accident lawyer from our law firm may be able to help you pursue and secure a financial recovery for your injuries and other accident-related losses. We offer you a free, no-risk, no-obligation consultation about your case. Our firm helping Richardson accident victims is ready to take on your case.
Call us today at (713) 850-8600 to reach D. Miller & Associates, PLLC™. Learn more about the legal services we offer you and what your rights are after a ridesharing accident. We can look at your situation to estimate your case’s timeline, despite not having an average time to settle a personal injury case figure.