If you suffered injuries in a ridesharing accident due to your driver’s negligence or another driver’s carelessness, you have options.
There are some risks affiliated with ridesharing services, and a few of them are legal. What are you supposed to do, after all, if you find yourself in an accident while riding in an Uber? Because the car is not yours, and you were not the one driving, it can be difficult to understand what your rights may be and whether or not you will have a party willing to take on your damages. Alternatively, what are you supposed to do if you work as a ridesharing driver, but the insurance that your parent company provides you with does not cover your losses in an accident?
That is where Ben Crump Law, PLLC steps in. A Jacksonville ridesharing accident lawyer can help you start to recover from a ridesharing accident while providing you with legal advice that can help you seek out compensation for your losses.
If you want to discuss your ridesharing accident, call Ben Crump Law, PLLC at (844) 730-0233 for a free consultation with a member of our team.
The Question of Insurance and Ridesharing Accidents
Depending on your budget, you may have insurance plans designed to cover your own car, a bike, or your person if you happened to get into an accident while on public property. Ridesharing drivers, like you, are required to insure their vehicles before they take to the road. However, the insurance plans offered by Lyft and Uber offer protections for you. This is great news if you happen to be a passenger in a ridesharing car at the time of an accident. You can get a driver’s information and rely on the coverage that they have to see any medical bills or property damage that you may have suffered from in the accident.
However, things grow more complicated if you are the party serving as a ridesharing driver.
Ridesharing drivers are considered independent contractors by their parent companies. This means that while the drivers technically work for the companies in question, they can just as readily be considered self-employed. As such, the insurance that these drivers have may not cover their own losses in a car accident. That means if you are the one behind the wheel of a ridesharing vehicle, you may walk away from an accident without the opportunity to file a claim for your losses.
For a free legal consultation with a ridesharing accidents lawyer serving Jacksonville, call (844) 730-0233
A Jacksonville Ridesharing Accident Lawyer Can Help You Fight for Post-Accident Compensation
If, either as a passenger or a driver, you endure losses in a ridesharing car accident that are not covered by your insurance provider, there are options available to you that can allow you to see those losses accounted for. Those options, however, can depend on fault.
Florida is an at-fault state. This means that in an accident, one of the drivers who suffered as a result of the accident will be determined to be responsible for all parties’ losses. If you are not the driver determined to be at-fault in a ridesharing accident, and you can prove to a court of law that the party you believe to be liable for your losses not only violated your duty of care but that their negligence contributed to the bulk of your losses, then you can pursue a civil case.
Jacksonville Ridesharing Accident Lawyer Near Me (844) 730-0233
Your Different Avenues for Compensation
With the aforementioned information out of the way, you can go about determining how best you want to present your case for compensation.
After some accidents, the party you believe to be liable for your losses may choose to provide you with a settlement offer without you having to prompt them to do so. You can calculate your potential compensation in comparison to this offer and negotiate with that party if you believe the initial offer to be insufficient.
Your other options, however, should that initial offer not come, include:
- Filing a complaint – complaints allow you to bring the identity of a potentially-liable party, your body of proof, and a compensation estimate to a judge in your area. So long as you submit a complaint within Florida’s statute of limitations, a justice will look over your case and determine whether or not to bring it to court for further consideration.
- Filing a demand letter – if you want to keep your negotiations out of court, a demand letter lets you bring your compensation estimate straight to the party you believe to be liable for your losses. Provided that the party will speak with you about said losses, you can work with a Jacksonville ridesharing accident lawyer to negotiate a settlement.
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You Can Discuss Your Case with a Jacksonville Ridesharing Accident Lawyer
Ridesharing services are more than just convenient. If you end up drinking more than you think you should while out with friends, these services can protect both you and the other drivers out on the road.
However, whether you are a driver or a passenger, you need to be aware of the risks that ridesharing accidents can pose to your being and property. Walking away from a ridesharing accident can leave you feeling confused and scared if you are not sure what your legal rights may look like.
Ben Crump Law, PLLC wants to help you get out of that funk. As such, you can work with a Jacksonville ridesharing accident lawyer to determine what rights you have after such an accident, with variations depending on your role in the accident as well as on the behavior of the other driver or drivers involved.
If you wish to file a lawsuit against the negligent driver who caused your injuries, you have four years to do so according to Florida Statutes § 95.11.
For a free consultation regarding your case, call (844) 730-0233.
Call or text (844) 730-0233 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form