What To Do If You Are Ever Hurt In A Rideshare Accident?
You know that people often carpool. This is especially true if they all happen to work at the same place. While most people who ride in a carpool arrive at their destination safely and unhurt, this is not always the case. If you are ever hurt in a rideshare accident, you need to read this article because it offers you valuable information. You can share this information with a personal injury lawyer to help you win your case and monetary awards in court.
What happens if you live in California?
If you live or are in California when you are hurt in a rideshare accident, your personal injury lawyer in Gilroy will inform you that you must prove through substantial evidence that the driver was the responsible party. This is called being ‘at-fault’ in legal terms. Good examples of this may be if your driver was talking to you and not paying attention to the road conditions or his or her speed, if the driver was drowsy, did not have a driver’s license, or was drunk while driving. But you should know that is entirely possible for you to be hurt in a rideshare accident when the driver was not at fault.
Why the rideshare accident law was created
These conditions often applied in rideshares, especially with Lyft and Uber drivers. A personal injury lawyer would tell you that neither the insurance companies of Lyft or Uber, or the driver’s personal auto insurance company would agree to pay the medical and other bills of the injured passenger claiming that the driver was an independent contractor. Therefore, they (insurance companies) were not financially or legally responsible for their actions. Many frustrated accident victims were forced to pay for the costs of their injuries themselves.
This prompted many states, including the State of California to amend driver laws and include rideshare accident laws. Personal injury lawyers have studied these laws and could tell you that you should always report the accident to the police, and ask for his or her badge and name. This will allow you to obtain a copy of the police report which you can use as evidence in court. See a doctor as soon as possible to allow him or her to officially and formally document any medical damages you may have sustained in your medical records. Finally, you should seek out competent legal advice when filing a claim since rideshare accident laws are complex and have many loopholes. If you are ever the victim of a rideshare accident, know that a lawyer can help you win your case in court and get the compensation you need to recover.
