Getting around by using Uber or another ridesharing app is a common means of transportation for many New Yorkers. While yellow taxicabs have been part of New York City’s fabric for quite some time, ridesharing apps such as Uber and Lyft have become increasingly popular within the last several years throughout the City, Long Island and Westchester. Regardless of whether you’re a passenger in an Uber going to work, school, or elsewhere, accidents can happen that cause serious injuries.
Depending on the facts and circumstances surrounding the accident, negligence may attach to the driver of the rideshare vehicle or another driver on the road. If you were in an Uber accident and sustained injuries, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages.
Causes of Uber Accidents
Regardless of whether your Uber driver or another vehicle caused the collision, rideshare accidents can occur due to:
- Rear ending
- Inattention
- Distraction
- Fatigue
- Driving under the influence
- Cell phone use or texting
- Carelessness or recklessness
- Failure to obey traffic signals
- Running red lights
- Following too closely
There can be many other contributing factors to car accidents and Uber accidents. Liability in Uber accidents can be extremely complex. Sometimes, multiple vehicles are involved, and one or more drivers may be at fault for the accident.
Compensation for Uber Accident Injuries
An Uber passenger who has been in a car accident can sustain serious injuries. Broken bones, soft tissue injuries, lacerations, paralysis, nerve damage, and traumatic brain injury are just a few examples of car accident injuries that can require extensive medical treatment. You may need surgery, a course of physical therapy, medical devices, medication, chiropractic care, or other procedures recommended by your doctor.
Car accident medical bills can add up quickly. Under New York law, no-fault insurance covers up to $50,000 in medical expenses and lost wages for victims of rideshare and Uber accidents. If the no-fault threshold is exceeded, you may be able to have your medical bills covered through the Uber liability policy or the bodily injury insurance policy of another vehicle that was at fault for the accident.
Depending on the facts and circumstances of the accident and the severity of your injuries, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit to recover the compensation you deserve. In a personal injury lawsuit, you may be able to recover compensation for your past and future unreimbursed medical expenses, out-of-pocket expenses, time lost from work, emotional damages, pain and suffering, and loss of consortium, as well as punitive damages in some cases.
Uber’s Liability Policy
New York City Uber drivers must satisfy the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) regulations — each Uber vehicle is also required to maintain its own commercial insurance policy.
Uber also maintains a policy of $1.25 million liability insurance per covered accident, in addition to $1.25 million per accident for bodily injury insurance which can be applied in the event that liability falls on another driver who is underinsured or uninsured. Uber’s liability policy is effective once the driver accepts your ride request, rather than once you are inside the moving vehicle.
Contact a New York Uber Accident Attorney
If you sustained injuries in a taxi accident or as an Uber passenger, you may be entitled to compensation. It is important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney right away. In any car accident case, there are strict statutes of limitations that begin running from the accident date and shorter ones if the claim involves a municipality. If you sustained injuries in a car accident due to another’s negligence, The Dearie Law Firm, P.C. can help you obtain the maximum compensation for your injuries.
The Dearie Law Firm, P.C. has convenient office locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx as well as mobile locations serving Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Westchester, Rockland County, Nassau County, and Suffolk County. Contact us for a consultation.