Wesley Chapel Uber Accident Lawyer

As rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft put more vehicles in the Wesley Chapel area, Florida residents can expect more Uber accidents and injuries. If you have been injured in a crash involving an Uber driver, you will need an experienced attorney’s legal help to deal with a large company with a history of challenging the claims against it.

When times are tough, your lawyer should be, too. Attorneys Angela A. Zervos and Lauren Calta offer Uber accident victims more than 50 years of combined legal experience and a reputation as accomplished trial lawyers who aggressively deal with insurance companies. Contact us today at (727) 597 5870 for a free consultation with an Uber accident lawyer and learn more about your legal rights and options.

What Is Uber?

You are probably familiar with the Uber and Lyft rideshare companies operating in the Wesley Chapel area. Ride-sharing or “ride-hailing” companies allow users to request rides using a smartphone app, which “matches” customers with nearby drivers. Riders state their destination and pay through the app, and the app plots the route for the driver. At the end of the trip, drivers and riders can use the app to rate each other, and riders may add a tip to their payment.

What Are the Most Common Causes of Wesley Chapel Uber Accidents?

Uber drivers are independent contractors who drive their personal vehicles. They are not necessarily “professional” drivers. Despite their added responsibility, Uber drivers can engage in the same negligence and recklessness as any other driver in Wesley Chapel.

Some of the most common causes of Uber accidents include the following:

• Speeding
• Distracted driving (in particular, using the Uber app while driving or chatting with passengers instead of focusing on the road)
• Driving while impaired by alcohol and/or drugs
• Driving while fatigued or drowsy
• Following too closely, or tailgating
• Failing to yield the right of way
• Disregarding or misjudging traffic signs and signals
• Driving aggressively, such as swerving through traffic
• Being unfamiliar with local roads or traffic patterns.

What Sort of Injuries Can Happen in an Uber Accident?

Most collisions involving an Uber driver and their vehicle result in blunt-force impact injuries, such as the following:

• Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
• Back and spinal cord injury, including paralysis
• Whiplash
• Broken bones
• Dislocated joints
• Sprains, strains, tears, and other injuries to ligaments, tendons, nerves, and muscle
• Internal bleeding
• Lacerations
• Contusions

As experienced Uber accident lawyers, we know how these crashes can result in serious injuries that change the lives of victims and their families. You can count on us to fight for the compensation you need to move forward after your Uber accident.

Who Can Be Held At Fault in a Wesley Chapel Uber Accident?

In an Uber accident — a car accident caused by an Uber driver — an injured passenger or another injured party might pursue a claim against the driver or Uber, the rideshare company. Under Florida law, legal responsibility for rideshare accidents depends on the rideshare driver’s status.

Uber’s liability insurance coverage would apply to an Uber accident in which the driver:

• Was on the way to pick up a passenger(s) (or “match accepted”).
• Had one or more passengers in the vehicle.

If the driver caused the Uber accident before accepting a match or after turning the app off, meaning they had quit work for the night, they would be “offline.” They would be personally responsible for any injuries caused by the accident.

What Insurance Does Uber Provide to Their Drivers?

Florida law requires rideshare, or “transportation network companies” (TNCs), to maintain primary commercial motor vehicle insurance coverage worth $1 million for death, bodily injury, and property damage. This auto insurance coverage is available when the rideshare driver is engaged in a prearranged ride during the crash.

For drivers picking up or transporting riders, Uber maintains coverage worth at least $1 million for property damage and bodily injuries to riders and third parties resulting from accidents caused by Uber drivers. The rideshare company also provides coverage to repair the Uber driver’s vehicle.

For drivers who are online and available for a trip, the company maintains liability coverage worth $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injuries, and $25,000 in property damage per accident. In Florida, Uber also maintains personal injury protection (PIP), which provides up to $10,000 toward medical expenses and lost wages for the driver and riders, regardless of fault.

Uber drivers who cause accidents while offline must rely on insurance coverage from their own insurance company.

Florida law requires TNC drivers to maintain $10,000 worth of PIP coverage and auto liability coverage worth at least:

• $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person
• $100,000 for death and bodily injury per accident
• $25,000 for property damage.

Under Florida’s “no-fault” auto insurance rules, someone injured in an Uber accident must initially rely on their own PIP insurance policy to pay for medical expenses, a portion of lost wages, and their Property Damage Liability (PDL) insurance for vehicle damage. If the individual’s compensable losses exceed what’s available through their PIP or PDL coverage, the injured person may file a claim with the insurance company of the driver who caused the Uber accident.

Because Uber drivers work for the company as independent contractors, a claim you filed after exhausting your PIP coverage would be through the Uber driver’s insurance. Which coverage would apply would depend upon their “online” or “offline” status at the time of the Uber accident.

What Happens If Another Driver Hits the Uber I Am Riding In?

If you were injured as a passenger in an Uber crash that another driver caused, your initial insurance claim would be against PIP coverage held by Uber or the Uber driver. PIP pays for medical expenses and lost wages for the policyholder and their passengers, regardless of fault. Once PIP coverage is exhausted, you can likely file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance. You would need to be ready to prove the driver’s fault and document your costs and losses — and your pain and suffering — to ensure you seek the maximum compensation in your case.

What Sort of Damages Can You Seek in a Wesley Chapel Uber Accident Claim?

If you meet the requirements to file a personal injury claim against the driver who was at fault for your rideshare accident, you may seek damages that include the following:

• Past and future medical expenses related to the crash
• Lost income while you recover
• Reduced future earnings due to your injuries
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Reduced quality of life due to lasting injuries or disability