Over the course of a year, an average of five million car accidents occur. In recent years, a large portion of these accidents involved negligent rideshare drivers. If you have been impacted by one of these rideshare accidents, speak to an experienced rideshare accident attorney to learn how you can claim compensation.
Barrios & Virgüez have recovered millions of dollars in settlements and verdicts for their clients. With our proven track record of winning compensation for our clients, you can trust us to fight hard for your rights. To start the process by having your case evaluated, use the contact form on this page to speak to an Augusta Uber accident lawyer quickly.
What to Know About Rideshare Accidents
Accidents involving rideshare vehicles can happen in a number of ways. For example, many of these accidents involve a rideshare driver crashing into another vehicle while they are also carrying a passenger. At other times, the accidents involve rideshare drivers crashing into pedestrians while they are on their way to pick up a customer.
No matter what the specifics of your accident were, as a victim of a rideshare accident in Augusta, you deserve to be compensated for any damages you incurred. If you have been in a rideshare accident, the best course of action is to speak with a local car accident lawyer. The sooner you reach out to an attorney, the higher your chances of recovering the maximum level of compensation from the at-fault parties.
Waiting is ill-advised because doing so puts your ability to claim fair compensation at risk.
Liability in Uber Accidents
In Georgia, laws define the state as a “fault-based state.” By definition, a fault state will legally hold whoever was at fault liable for the damages caused by an accident. Therefore, if your Uber driver was not the party who caused the accident, liability would not fall on them.
Conversely, Uber drivers whose negligence led to an accident in Augusta will be held accountable for the accidents they cause. In this case, hiring a personal injury lawyer would be a very good option.
Filing a Claim with the Insurance Company
To get the compensation you are due, filing a claim against an insurance company will likely be necessary. Though it is not always clear which insurance company you should make your claim against. Usually, you are required to file a claim with the Uber driver’s personal insurance immediately after the accident.
After that claim is either accepted or rejected, you have the option to pursue compensation from Uber’s insurance.
In case you were wondering, Uber does offer robust liability insurance coverage for their drivers. However, they prefer to allow personal insurance policies to pay out as much as possible before they step in. It is also important to note that, while Uber does have insurance for their drivers, the amount of coverage offered by this insurance varies depending on which phase of work they are engaged in.
Uber’s Insurance Policy
Rideshare companies like Uber usually maintain liability insurance for their drivers. This insurance serves as a backup to their personal auto insurance policies. When these policies are active and how much coverage is granted depends on several factors.
Is the Driver Logged into the App?
In order to be covered by Uber’s liability policy, drivers must be logged into the rideshare application. If they are not logged in, they will likely be fully liable for any damages they cause while driving. Therefore, the rideshare accident’s victims must pursue compensation directly from their personal liability insurance policy.
Fortunately, anyone driving in Georgia is required to have a minimum amount of liability insurance on their vehicle. In instances where the driver is logged into the app but has not accepted a ride, there is some level of liability coverage active. Under Uber’s policy, accident victims will be compensated within a set amount.
The limits for this portion of the policy are as follows:
- $50,000 of bodily injury coverage per person
- $100,000 of bodily injury coverage per accident
- $25,000 of property damage coverage per accident
Is the Driver Picking Up or Carrying a Passenger?
Uber cares about protecting its customers from harm. For this reason, they offer the maximum level of coverage while drivers are carrying passengers and when they are on the way to pick a passenger up. Specifically, Uber offers $1 million of liability coverage for drivers when they are in these phases of their trips.
Of course, victims are not always going to recover this full amount through their lawsuits, but with such a large safety net, it makes sense to hire an Augusta Uber accident attorney to ensure that you get a fair and reasonable amount of compensation.
The Benefits of Hiring an Attorney
By hiring an Uber accident attorney in Augusta, you improve your chances of being able to recover compensation from the at-fault party. While it may be possible to file a claim against the negligent driver’s insurance company on your own, we do not suggest that you do so. Furthermore, we believe it is an incredibly bad idea to confront Uber’s insurance adjusters without legal counsel.
Having a lawyer on your team allows you to collect more evidence in less time. In doing so, you improve your opportunity to build a strong and effective case against the at-fault parties. When filing a claim against the insurer of a billion-dollar company, you will certainly need the best case you can manage to win a suitable settlement.
If the case does not end in a settlement and you need to go to trial, having a lawyer working alongside will keep you from being overwhelmed by the circumstances.
Maximize the Compensation You Recover With the Help of an Augusta Uber Accident Attorney
Choosing the right Augusta Uber accident lawyer is essential to the process of recovering maximum compensation in your rideshare accident claim. With this in mind, you should consider speaking to an esteemed law firm that is led by well-respected attorneys.
Barrios & Virgüez fit this description perfectly, so why not reach out to us to have your case evaluated? You can start the process by filling out our contact form or calling our office.
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