Uber Accident NJ

New Jersey Uber and Lyft Car Accident Attorneys

Aggressive representation from NJ Uber accident lawyers

Uber and Lyft have disrupted local transportation and become a fixture in modern, urban life. Within minutes after ordering a ride on a smartphone, you can be climbing into a car headed wherever you need to go. The experienced personal injury legal team at Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow, LLP is dedicated to claiming the maximum amount of compensation available for our clients injured in an Uber or Lyft car accident. We understand New Jersey laws and can stand up to large insurance companies that fight to deny liability.

Injuries from Uber or Lyft car crashes

Just as in any other type of car accident, whether you are a passenger, or the occupant of another vehicle that was hit by an Uber or Lyft driver, you can sustain serious injuries in a ridesharing crash including:

What to do when you are involved in a ridesharing accident

Here are some general guidelines for things that you can do if you should become involved in an accident as an Uber or Lyft passenger:

  • Get your driver's name and contact information. Once you have called 911 to report the accident to the police and sought medical attention for your injuries or the injuries of anyone else involved in the crash, take a screen shot of your ride. Then be sure to get your driver's name and contact information along with the names and contact information for the other drivers involved in the crash.
  • Talk to witnesses. If there were any witnesses, get their names and contact information.
  • Take pictures. Better yet, shoot video to document the scene, the damage to the vehicles, how the vehicles came to rest after the crash before they are moved out of the way. If you have injuries that are visible, photograph them.
  • Call your insurance company and give them the date and time of the accident. If they want further details, you can put them in touch with your Uber and Lyft accident lawyer from Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow. If an insurance adjuster for the ridesharing company calls and requests a statement, refer them to your attorney, but do not give a recorded statement.

Be sure to visit your doctor as soon as possible after the crash to follow up on any emergency medical attention you may have received at the scene. Many people report that they have no injuries after the crash but then in the coming days, painful symptoms begin to emerge once the adrenaline rush from the shock of the accident has cleared their system.

Uber and Lyft liability insurance coverage

It is easy to forget that Uber and Lyft drivers are not professional drivers. They are your neighbors driving their private cars to earn some extra cash. Drivers and passengers for Lyft or Uber are not protected from becoming involved in car accidents. When an accident occurs, and customers are injured, determining who is liable for the injuries can be complicated. Dealing with several different insurance companies can become overwhelming. Claiming any compensation you deserve for your injuries can take a long time as insurance companies battle among themselves. You can be confident that your NJ car accident lawyer is advocating on your behalf.

When an accident involving an Uber or Lyft driver happens, injured victims soon discover that there are several insurance companies involved. The combination of personal insurance, the Uber or Lyft driver’s insurance, and the ridesharing company’s insurance carriers can make settling a claim seem like a major challenge.

Uber and Lyft driver liability coverage is three-fold. There are conditions of the coverage that largely depend on what stage of work the driver was in at the time of the accident.

  • Off-Duty. If the driver gets into a car accident at a time when he or she was off duty or unavailable, the driver’s personal insurance company would be liable for injuries and damages.
  • In Service, No Passengers. If the driver was in service but had not yet picked up a client, the ridesharing company’s contingent insurance would kick in. Both Uber and Lyft have liability coverage for any accident that is the fault of the driver. This includes $1,000,000 total injury liability per accident, $25,000 property damage liability, and up to $50,000 per person injured in an accident.

Victims injured in the crash will have to contact the ridesharing company’s insurance carrier to determine if contingent insurance benefits are available to cover the injuries or property damage that is not covered by their own insurance company.

  • In Service with Passengers. When an accident happens with an active passenger in the vehicle, both the driver and the passenger will be covered by the Uber or Lyft company’s liability coverage. Both ridesharing companies provide one million dollars in liability coverage, plus an additional million dollars in underinsured or uninsured coverage. These policies enable the ridesharing company to cover most injuries and damages, even if the individual driver has little or no personal insurance coverage.

Potential claims resistance from insurance companies

When you try to claim compensation after a car accident, you probably do not expect to come up against strong resistance from the at-fault driver’s insurance company. In many cases, each insurance company tries to shift the liability to another insurance carrier. Insurance adjusters and investigators will often try to find a way to place liability on the Uber or Lyft driver, or put pressure on the victim’s personal insurance carrier to pay for damages and injuries. At Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow, our skilled personal injury attorneys negotiate on your behalf to recover the compensation you need, and as strong litigators we are prepared to take your case to trial if that is required.

Determining liability after an Uber or Lyft crash

A car accident, especially one that results in serious injury, often leaves victims in a state of shock. The sudden impact of the accident, the element of surprise, the anxiety and stress, and the pain that can accompany a crash can overwhelm those involved. Many people do not think to contact their personal insurance carrier, while some think the ridesharing company will automatically be liable for damages and injuries.

Negotiations between insurance companies can be brutal, and those outside of the insurance industry can become overwhelmed with the claims process. An experienced New Jersey car accident attorney can help injured victims navigate through the claims process and ensure that their legal rights are protected. Our competent lawyers make sure that our clients receive the maximum amount of compensation from each party involved in causing the accident.

Handling Uber and Lyft injury claims in NJ

If you or someone you know has been injured in a rideshare car accident involving an Uber or Lyft driver, call the New Jersey car accident lawyers at Eichen Crutchlow Zaslow, LLP at 732-777-0100, or contact us online to schedule a consultation today. Our experienced personal injury lawyers committed to helping our clients claim the maximum amount of compensation available. Our offices are conveniently located in Edison, and Red Bank, and serve clients throughout the state of New Jersey.

Related Content: