If you or a loved one suffered injuries during a rideshare accident, you can seek compensation for your accident-related damages. A rideshare accident lawyer will demand a settlement for your vehicle repairs, medical bills, pain and suffering, lost income, and any other harm from the collision.

While rideshare companies often provide insurance to drivers, there are complicated rules surrounding such coverage. Your Cape Girardeau car accident attorney will make sense of your case, develop a strategy, and fight for the financial recovery you are entitled to.

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Who Should Consider Hiring a Rideshare Accident Lawyer?

A rideshare accident can refer to many circumstances, each of which may result in an insurance claim or lawsuit.

Consider hiring a rideshare accident attorney if you were:

• Driving a vehicle hit by a rideshare driver
• A passenger in a vehicle hit by a rideshare driver:
• A pedestrian hit by a rideshare driver
• In a rideshare vehicle when another motorist hit the rideshare
• In a rideshare vehicle when the rideshare driver hit another vehicle, motorcyclist, pedestrian, or fixed object

Two common circumstances lead rideshare accident victims to hire a lawyer, and those are:

1. If you suffered injuries during the accident
2. If you lost a loved one because of a fatal rideshare accident

Studies show that ridesharing contributes to the total number of accidents. However, we don’t typically expect to be in an accident, and many victims are caught off guard when a collision happens. If you follow a few simple steps, you can pursue the money you deserve without risking your physical or psychological health.

What to Do Immediately After a Rideshare Accident

Every motor vehicle accident victim must consider the possibility that they suffered a severe injury. Even if your injury symptoms are not immediately apparent, the force of an auto collision can cause significant injuries and related harm.

Recognizing that serious injuries can prove expensive, you should:

Seek Medical Attention ASAP

The human body is not meant to be hit, jostled, or traumatized in other ways consistent with a rideshare accident.

Even if you don’t feel pain, you should seek medical attention to:

• Identify and document any injuries you have suffered
• Rule out possible injuries
• Get a doctor’s treatment advice
• Prevent further injury
• Get pain-relieving care

Don’t just get medical attention, though that is a start. You must also keep bills, notes, images, and other documentation of accident-related injuries and related treatments.

Retain Legal Counsel

By seeking medical attention, you will take care of your health. By hiring a rideshare accident lawyer, you will give proper attention to your financial recovery.

Your attorney will evaluate your accident, document your damages, and pursue a fair settlement or verdict.

Let Your Lawyer Deal with Insurance Companies

Your attorney will urgently work to resolve your case, which will require dealing with insurers.

Expect your rideshare accident attorney to:

• Contact the insurance company once they take over your claim
• Provide any accounts or evidence the insurance company needs
• Provide documentation of your accident-related losses to insurance companies
• Prepare for settlement negotiations when your claim reaches that stage

Your attorney will ensure nobody—including insurers—can violate your rights after a rideshare accident.

Leave the Insurance Process to a Skilled Attorney

It is a common mistake. Auto accident victims falsely believe that insurance companies always provide fair compensation. Such people may accept lowball settlements, fail to challenge claim denials, and make other mistakes that hurt them financially.

Insurance companies have financial motivations, and their interests will not always align with yours.

Such conflicts of interest are why your lawyer will handle all dealings with insurers, and they will:

•  Provide the insurance company with any evidence or documentation that can affect the claim outcome
• Refuse any lowball settlement offers (after reviewing the offers with you)
• Urge the insurance company to resolve your claim as soon as possible
• Demand a fair financial recovery during settlement negotiations

Attorneys are deliberate in calculating a client’s damages. Your attorney will be firm in their settlement demands, as they will be certain that their demands are fair.

Who Pays for a Rideshare Accident?

Those whose negligence contributes to a rideshare accident are often liable for resulting damages. The insurers for the liable parties have an obligation to pay for victims’ losses.

Potential defendants in a rideshare accident case include:

• A rideshare driver: If a Lyft or Uber driver caused an accident that led to injuries or death, the driver’s insurer (and the driver personally) may be liable for your damages.
• A third-party motorist: If you were in a rideshare vehicle when another motorist hit the vehicle, the third-party motorist may owe you compensation for accident-related damages. If the motorist is insured, your attorney will likely seek insurance from their insurance company.
• A vehicle manufacturer: When defective vehicles contribute to accidents, manufacturers must pay victims fairly. Tires, steering columns, and brakes are among the components that can be immensely dangerous when defective.
• The municipality where the accident happened: When a city fails to ensure the safety of its streets, accidents happen. The city may be liable for your damages if confusing intersections, inadequate lighting, unsafe work zones, or any other municipal failure contributed to your rideshare accident.

The details of your rideshare collision will shine a light on liable parties. Once your lawyer knows who is financially responsible for your accident, they will choose the best way to seek compensation from those parties.

Rideshare Companies Provide Insurance to Their Drivers (But with Conditions)

Every rideshare accident lawyer must evaluate whether the rideshare company is financially liable. Companies like Uber and Lyft have insurance for their contracted drivers.

However:

1. The driver’s own insurance typically applies before the rideshare company’s insurance kicks in
2. There are conditions to when the rideshare company’s insurance is active (and is not active)

Determining which insurance should cover your losses can be complicated. Allow a lawyer to focus on these details while you focus on recovery.

Your Attorney Will Start Your Case Right Away

Your attorney will want to start your case as soon as possible.

Once you choose a law firm and give them the green light to start your case, they will:

• Obtain all useful evidence: Your lawyer will interview witnesses and review video footage from cameras near your accident scene. They may also hire experts to reconstruct the collision. If any other evidence will benefit your case, your lawyer will secure it and use it in your favor.
• Detail your accident-related damages: Medical records, medical bills, employment records, vehicle-related invoices, and expert testimony may be central to your case. These types of documentation can help prove how the collision has harmed you, financially and otherwise.
• Develop settlement demands: Each rideshare accident has a specific cost, and your lawyer will determine the cost of your collision. The severity of your injuries and property damage will be key considerations in the cost of your damages.
• Negotiate with insurance companies: Whether your lawyer is dealing with a driver’s insurer or the insurance company for the rideshare company, they will demand fair compensation. Insurance companies initially resist paying the money you deserve. Your lawyer will present all relevant evidence and documentation, standing firm behind their calculation of your damages.
• Consider filing a lawsuit: Insurance companies will have every opportunity to offer a fair settlement. If your lawyer determines that liable parties are unwilling to settle for a fair amount, they may advise you to pursue a lawsuit. Your attorney can draft and file the lawsuit on your behalf.
• Going to trial (if necessary): If you choose to file a lawsuit (via your lawyer), going to trial can be a realistic next step. Before advising you to go to court, your lawyer will seek a settlement once again. If liable parties still resist a fair settlement, your lawyer may start the trial.
• Defending you throughout the case: Your lawyer is the guardian of your interests. Whether you are calling them or they are calling you, your lawyer will provide frequent updates and advice.

Every rideshare accident case presents unpredictable challenges. By hiring a rideshare collision lawyer, you shield yourself from the stress of your claim or lawsuit. Your lawyer will oversee every detail of your case while your health remains your priority.

Recoverable Damages in a Rideshare Accident Case

Until you have suffered injuries or lost a loved one because of an auto accident, you don’t truly understand the toll of serious collisions. Attorneys do understand this toll because they regularly speak to and represent rideshare accident victims.

Your attorney will be ready to evaluate:

Your Property Expenses

Property costs from a rideshare accident can include:

• Repairing a damaged vehicle
• Replacing damaged personal items (like clothing, accessories, a phone, and other electronics)
• Replacing a totaled vehicle
• Securing temporary transportation

Those with serious injuries may also need to purchase medical equipment, a specialized vehicle, ramps, and other devices for their home.

Your Medical Costs

Your attorney will demand that liable parties cover all medical costs related to your rideshare accident, which may include the cost of:

• Emergency transport and treatment
• Surgery
• Hospitalization
• Medications
• Doctors appointments
• Imaging

Each rideshare accident victim has different injuries and medical needs. Your attorney will document your accident-related medical care and calculate the cost for your settlement demands.

Your Pain and Suffering

Lawyers look at the ways an accident affects someone beyond direct financial harm.

Pain and suffering is the most common type of non-economic harm in ridesharing accident cases and can include:

• Physical pain
• Lost quality of life
• Emotional anguish
• Psychological distress
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Depression
• Anxiety

Pain and suffering is particularly personal to each rideshare accident victim. Your attorney will provide a mental health professional to evaluate your damages and arrive at a fair value for your pain and suffering.

Your Professional Damages

Your collision may come at a professional cost that includes:

• Lost income
• Diminished earning power
• Lost bonus and promotion opportunities
• Loss of fulfillment and other psychological benefits produced from working
• Lost benefits

If you suffer long-term injuries from the rideshare accident, your lawyer will track the long-term professional cost of those injuries.

Any Other Harm from Your Accident

If you suffer any other economic or non-economic damages due to your rideshare accident, your lawyer will demand fair compensation from liable parties for those damages.

Contingency Fees Make It Easy (and Affordable) to Hire a Rideshare Accident Lawyer

Contingency fees are a common way for rideshare accident lawyers to serve clients under significant financial pressure.

This fee arrangement means:

• There is no direct financial pressure on the client: You will not pay any upfront or out-of-pocket fees to the law firm, so you do not face financial stress because you hire a lawyer.
• The law firm provides total financial support: Your rideshare accident attorney will pay the cost of completing your case.
• The law firm has a great financial reason to win for the client: Your attorney will only receive a fee if you receive a settlement or verdict, so they have immense financial incentive to win for you.

This fee structure ensures you can prioritize recovery without sweating the cost of hiring a lawyer.

Do Not Wait Any Longer to Hire a Rideshare Accident Attorney

Your attorney will want to start work on your case as soon as possible and may face one or more case-related deadlines. Don’t wait to hire your rideshare accident lawyer.