Rideshare companies have grown exponentially over the last few years. With growing popularity, there is also growing risk.
Rideshare accidents are all too common in Los Angeles, often leaving rideshare passengers or occupants in other vehicles injured. After you have been hurt, rideshare accident attorneys in Los Angeles can help you recover the damages you have suffered through a personal injury claim. With their assistance, you can move forward toward a new chapter of your life, putting your rideshare accident behind you.
The experienced legal team at Hillstone Law Accident & Injury Attorneys can oversee your rideshare accident claim from start to finish with diligence and care. We have served many members of the Los Angeles community through accidents just like yours. We’re a call or click away to help you, too. To schedule a free consultation and meet with an experienced member of our team, call (310) 904-4444 or contact us online.
Why Do Injury Victims Need a Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Attorney?
After an accident, it is important to talk with a rideshare accident lawyer in Los Angeles about the upcoming tasks you’ll need to recover your damages. Rideshare accident claims can be more complex than traditional crash claims, but with an attorney’s help, you can:
- Seek to maximize financial compensation: Ultimately, the main objective of hiring an attorney is to optimize your injury settlement’s value. By studying the evidence of the accident, taking steps to fully document your damages, analyzing applicable statutes and prior cases, and representing you in talks with other parties, your Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney will ensure you do everything possible to recover the damages you have suffered.
- Negotiate with all parties involved: Rideshare accidents are unique because of the additional parties that must be negotiated with throughout the course of the claim. Remember, you are not just dealing with another driver and their insurance, but your claim may also involve a rideshare company with their own goals and agenda.
- Understand commercial insurance claims: Commercial insurance policies are different from traditional auto accident policies. Corporate insurers will be more strict about admitting fault in an accident, which can make seeking compensation more challenging compared to a typical car accident claim.
- Get experienced, hands-on claim management: Managing the paperwork, communication, and time commitment of a rideshare accident claim can be a challenge to do on your own, especially while you heal from collision-related injuries. A Los Angeles rideshare accident lawyer can take on the major tasks of an ongoing accident claim, ensuring that all paperwork is complete, accurate, and filed on time.
- Gain counsel and an advocate: Throughout your rideshare accident injury claim, it’s natural to have questions or concerns about the legal process. Your Los Angeles rideshare accident attorney will give you the right information to optimize your legal strategy, answer any questions you may have, and keep you updated on your case’s progress.
Important Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Laws to Know
There are specific regulations that all Uber and Lyft drivers must adhere to, according to state laws. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is responsible for upholding these rideshare laws, including the following:
- All drivers must pass a background check
- All rideshare drivers must display their company’s logo decal on the front and back passenger side windows while they are active on the app
- All rideshare vehicles must meet stringent climate emission criteria
- All rideshare vehicles must undergo an inspection every 12 months or 50,000 miles — whichever comes first
- Rideshare drivers cannot refuse passengers with service animals
Failure to uphold these regulations can add to the amount of liability assigned to a rideshare driver or company an accident occurs. In some cases, evidence of a violation of the above laws can also help establish causation and fault for the accident.
Your attorney will rigorously investigate your case to determine whether the driver upheld their duties and whether neglecting specific rules and regulations played a role in the rideshare accident’s cause.
Why Did Rideshare Companies Become So Popular in Los Angeles?
Rideshare vehicles are all over the roads now. Late at night, the glowing Uber or Lyft logo is a familiar sight in many drivers’ windows along Los Angeles’ busy city streets.
What made rideshare services so desirable? A few factors played into the seemingly overnight boom in popularity:
- Rise of convenience-centered apps: Over the last few years, marketing executives have realized that the way to our hearts is through convenience. Easy-to-use apps consistently rank higher than those with more difficult designs and interfaces. Rideshare apps have harnessed this love of convenience on many levels: cashless payments, on-demand transportation, and tracking/rating systems to ensure quality service.
- Affordability: A major reason apps like Uber and Lyft have grown so rapidly is because they maintained a reputation for being cheaper per-mile than a traditional taxi ride. While this is no longer necessarily true, rideshare apps still offer a variety of options for your ride preference, helping you to adjust your service according to your budget and preferences.
- Wider availability: Taxis are most common in bustling city centers and urban areas, but rideshare apps expanded that business model to the suburbs and even rural areas.
- Employment appeal: Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft employ workers who are not technically company employees. Instead, these companies hire independent contractors. With the freedom of being an independent contractor on rideshare apps, you can make your own hours and work at your own pace, starting and stopping whenever you want.
- Pandemic influence: During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, rideshare apps expanded features like grocery and food delivery. These updates made the apps the preferred way to take care of certain errands, all without ever leaving the house.
All of these conveniences have encouraged the proliferation of rideshare trips in Los Angeles and throughout the U.S. Unfortunately, this trend has also led to a rise in injury-causing rideshare accidents.
According to a study published in the journal Injury Prevention, every 100 rideshare app-derived trips in an area increased the risks of an injury accident by 4.6%. Even more concerning, one-in-three rideshare drivers admits to having been involved in at least one accident while working.
Do Rideshare Drivers Have Liability Insurance?
When drivers sign up to work on the Uber or Lyft apps, they are required to carry personal liability insurance to comply with state law. However, these rideshare companies will also provide commercial car accident insurance to supplement what the driver already has.
The extent of this insurance coverage will change depending on the specific circumstances of the accident. Rideshare liability coverage is categorized into three main periods, depending on whether the driver has accepted a trip or is currently escorting a passenger.
Rideshare Insurance Period 1
Period 1 coverage refers to the section of time when a driver has their app turned on but has not yet received a trip assignment to pick up a passenger. This period is notoriously called the “gap period,” as the driver’s personal auto insurance coverage only applies if they have rideshare coverage, and the full benefits of the rideshare company’s policy have not become applicable yet.
Rideshare Insurance Period 2
Period 2 refers to the time between when the driver has accepted a fare and has picked up a passenger. At this time, the driver is fully covered by the rideshare company’s standing commercial insurance policy.
Rideshare Insurance Period 3
Period 3 refers to the time when the driver has picked up a passenger and is currently driving them towards their destination. Rideshare companies provide full commercial insurance coverage during this period.
Why Do So Many Rideshare Accidents Happen?
For about three decades, the road accident fatality rate had been steadily declining, but in 2020-2021, there was a dramatic shift being observed. In 2021, the U.S. saw a 10.1% fatal accident rate — the highest it has been since 2005.
With the rate of fatal car accidents increasing again, one can only ask, why? One answer may be that traffic has increased, overall, as rideshare app usage continues to grow. As more non-professional drivers drive more miles on public roads, they increase their likelihood of committing negligent acts.
Rideshare accidents stemming from driver negligence can happen for a variety of reasons, like:
- Distracted driving: Anything can be a distraction for the person behind the wheel. If a driver takes their eyes off of the road for just a second, they could miss important details and developments. Making matters worse, rideshare drivers operate vehicles with their phones out and sound on for GPS tracking and ride acceptance, which can be a dangerous distraction.
- Fatigue: Rideshare apps have loose restrictions when it comes to driving restrictions. Drivers are allowed to work for up to twelve hours, but must take a consecutive six-hour break after reaching that limit. However, after their six-hour break, a driver can return to the app for another twelve-hour shift.
- Unfamiliar areas: Rideshare divers may end up in unfamiliar areas when picking up or dropping off passengers. From there, they’ll rely on GPS tracking and road signs to get back to their normal area. Not knowing where you are can be overwhelming, especially at night or in adverse weather conditions, increasing the risk of a mistake that leads to an accident.
- Incentive to multi-task: Drivers are often given a bonus for adding additional stops to their trip. This may force a driver to detour and reroute. They may also have negative consequences to their account for not responding promptly to rider messages. In this situation, drivers may decide to text and drive for efficiency.
- Inexperienced drivers: The only licensing requirement for Uber and Lyft drivers is that they hold a valid driver’s license in their state. While Uber and Lyft reserve the right to deny a driver based on their poor driving history, there is no requirement to maintain a clean driving record for a certain number of years. Therefore, it can be hard to gauge how good or bad of a driver a person is before they are hired and before any issues are reported to the rideshare company.
- Maintenance issues: Rideshare drivers for Uber and Lyft are required to keep up with the maintenance of their own vehicles. Some drivers may not prioritize the upkeep of their vehicle, endangering themselves, their passengers, and others on the road.
What Damages Can I Recover From a Rideshare Accident?
After suffering a traumatic collision on the road, it’s natural to be nervous about the expenses that arise. However, because California is an at-fault state, victims of accidents can recover compensation from the liable party or their insurer for damages suffered.
A rideshare accident settlement or court award should provide benefits for the following:
- Medical expenses
- Cost of ongoing treatment
- Lost wages
- Loss in earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
Dealing With Injuries After a Rideshare Accident
After an accident, remember to take it slow. You may have injuries that aren’t clear until they emerge later. Don’t strain your body in the days that follow. Instead, give it the time it needs to process and reveal the extent of its injuries.
When managing post-accident injuries, remember to:
- Prioritize rest: After an accident, spend a few days resting your body, so you don’t cause any further strain. If you have any injuries, it is important to nurture the healing process. Don’t rely on the part of your body that is injured for day-to-day activities until your doctor approves.
- Commit to follow-up doctor’s appointments: Be sure to strictly follow whatever treatment plan your doctor prescribes. Failing to commit to follow-up care can worsen your injuries and can lead to a claim dispute arising from alleged self-aggravated injuries.
- Document the healing journey: After the crash, take photos of any developing injuries. Keep an eye on how your injuries progress, taking photos throughout each stage of healing and recovery. This visual evidence can be useful for your Los Angeles rideshare accident lawyer as they negotiate on your behalf.
A Los Angeles Rideshare Accident Law Firm Can Support You During Your Injury Claim
You don’t have to face corporate insurance companies and their lawyers alone. An experienced rideshare accident attorney in Los Angeles is standing by to help.
The Hillstone Law Accident & Injury Attorneys legal team can provide comprehensive support through this difficult time in your life. Our team has helped countless members of the Los Angeles community who have experienced similar rideshare accidents, and we’ve learned how to handle the typical responses we see from insurers, drivers, and rideshare companies.
Learn more about what the claim process may look like for you by talking to a real Los Angeles rideshare accident lawyer today. Schedule a free consultation with a member of the legal team at Hillstone Law Accident & Injury Attorneys now when you call (310) 904-4444 or contact us online.
