Getting around town is easier than ever with the help of ridesharing services like Uber and Lyft. Unfortunately, passengers and other drivers are often badly injured in accidents with these ridesharing vehicles.
Uber and Lyft accidents have numerous possible causes, including aggressive driving, bad driving conditions, and distracted drivers behind the wheel. When filing a lawsuit, our attorneys can help you assess your damages so that your economic and non-economic losses are accounted for and hopefully compensated. Exactly who pays for your damages is tricky since there might be numerous defendants and multiple insurance policies. While Lyft and Uber drivers are usually defendants, their insurance or insurance from the ridesharing company usually covers the damages. Evidence is necessary to prove the defendant’s negligence and often comes from the accident scene itself but might also come from various other sources.
Our Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft accident lawyers can assist you in your lawsuit against the negligent driver. Contact our team at Howe Law for a free case assessment. Call us today at (844) 876-4357.
How Accidents Might Happen with Uber and Lyft Vehicles in Clarksville, TN
Understanding how your accident with a Lyft or Uber vehicle occurred is key to determining who should be held responsible. One common cause of accidents with ridesharing vehicles is aggressive driving. Uber and Lyft drivers earn money based on how many rides they can provide. Drivers might drive more aggressively in the hopes of being able to accept more passengers and earn more money. Unfortunately, this means they are at a greater risk of causing an accident.
Driving conditions, like road conditions or the weather, are big factors in accident cases. When driving conditions are poor, or an Uber or Lyft driver is driving at night, they need to be more defensive behind the wheel. If the defendant drove carelessly or failed to exercise appropriate caution, they might be liable for your injuries. Many Uber and Lyft drivers work at night when visibility is low, and driving is riskier.
While many drivers are distracted by cell phones, they are very problematic in cases of Uber and Lyft drivers. Ridesharing drivers rely on their phones to do their jobs. If the driver was too focused on their phone and meeting their next passenger, they might have lost focus and caused the accident.
Figuring Out Recoverable Damages in Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft Cases
Damages are key to any lawsuit, including those for Lyft and Uber crashes. Damages represent the losses and injuries you endured because of the accident. While many damages are based on money, many other damages are unrelated to a financial cost but can still be financially compensated.
Non-economic damages are sometimes difficult to identify as they are based on painful personal experiences rather than costs and expenses. They can also be difficult to assess because they are inherently subjective. Generally, non-economic damages are evaluated based on how much they affect a plaintiff’s daily life. Emotional anguish, physical pain, reputational damage, humiliation, and other negative experiences can be added to your calculations. Our Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft accident lawyers can emphasize the impact of these damages so that you get the compensation you rightly deserve.
Getting a clear picture of economic damages often means adding up your expenses. However, they might still be challenging to assess, especially if you have many economic damages to keep track of. Your medical expenses, vehicle repairs, lost income, and other expenses should be dutifully tracked and recorded so that no compensation is missed.
Who Pays Your Damages in a Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft Accident Lawsuit?
Plaintiffs often want to know where the compensation comes from if they win their lawsuit. The answer to this question is tricky, as it might vary from case to case. While defendants could potentially pay for plaintiffs’ damages out of their own pockets, many are covered by various insurance policies. Our Clarksville, TN Lyft and Uber accident lawyers can help you get compensation from the appropriate parties.
The primary defendant in Uber and Lyft accident cases is often the Uber or Lyft driver. Alternatively, other drivers on the road might also be named in the lawsuit. These drivers are legally required to carry auto insurance that can be used to pay for damages in a lawsuit. If the defendant is uninsured, they might have to pay you damages on their own.
Uber and Lyft typically cannot be sued because drivers are independent contractors, not employees. Even so, they often have insurance that covers their drivers in case of an accident. How much insurance coverage is provided through Uber or Lyft depends on how your accident occurred.
There is no coverage if the driver was not on duty or had their driving app turned off. If the driver was on duty and waiting for a ride request, there is coverage for $50,000 in bodily injury per person, $100,000 in bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 in property damage. If the driver was paired with a rider or a rider was in the car, there is up to $1,000,000 in third-party liability coverage.
What You Need to Prove Your Claims in an Uber and Lyft Accident Case in Clarksville, TN
Our Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft accident attorneys have experience finding and collecting evidence. The hunt for evidence should begin immediately after the accident, and you can help your case by documenting the crash scene. Photos and videos recorded of the accident scene immediately after a crash can be an immense help as they preserve details that might be lost when law enforcement clears the scene.
Multiple people might be involved in a crash even if they were not directly affected. For example, people passing by on the street or drivers in other vehicles might have seen the crash happen. These witnesses can testify in court about what they saw and shed light on how the defendant’s negligence caused the accident and your injuries.
Police reports are often inadmissible in court because they are considered hearsay evidence. However, it is sometimes possible to admit police reports about accidents under exceptions to the hearsay rule if they apply. For example, police reports might be considered business or public records exempt from the rule against hearsay. Alternatively, we can use the police report to find other admissible evidence.
Contact Our Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyers for Assistance
Ridesharing services can be very convenient, but they should also be safe. Our Clarksville, TN Uber and Lyft accident attorneys can help you sue the driver or drivers who caused your accident. For a free review of your case, call Howe Law today at (844) 876-4357.
