What To Do If You Are In An Accident While Using Uber | As Uber becomes the go-to mode for people to get around there are more and more ride shares being taken. Thinking about statistics, then, it becomes clear that more Uber drivers on the road would lead to an uptick in accidents with them involved. Whether it is the Uber driver’s fault or of the other driver, there is a risk of being involved in an accident as a passenger.
What happens if you are in an accident with Uber? Can you sue Uber or do you deal with insurance? As you would expect from something as complex as Uber, the answer is not very clear.
In this article, we will go over what you should do if you are in a car accident while riding as an Uber passenger.
Assess the situation
Once the accident happens it’s time to see how bad it actually was. If you are not injured yourself then take a moment to see if anybody else is injured. Then, call 911 and report the accident.
When EMTs come, don’t deny medical attention even if you feel like you weren’t injured. Adrenaline could be running high and masking any injuries you have so you may not even know that you are. Also, some injuries take time to manifest themselves. If you start feeling one a few days later then there won’t be much a car accident attorney can do for you as too much time has passed.
While you’re at the scene, take as many pictures of the accident and the area around the accident as possible. This is going to help your case with any insurance companies that get involved. This evidence will paint a clear picture of what happened.
Get testimony
Take some time to ask around if anybody at the scene witnessed the accident. You may have seen exactly what happened, but having others that corroborate your version if somebody else involved tries to claim otherwise will help your case if you have one.
Make sure to also get the contact information of these witnesses so they can talk to an insurance company or investigator later on. If this were to go to court they may provide some testimony that helps the case.
Can you sue Uber?
If you have injuries that require medical expenses, either one-time or ongoing then you will certainly be looking for compensation. This would also include lost wages and even emotional distress from the accident. At this point, your first thought is going to be to sue Uber. Especially if the driver of your vehicle was the one at fault.
The problem is that Uber drivers are not employed by the company. They are independent contractors that use the app to get rides through Uber but are not considered as working for Uber. When you’re in an accident it is not an Uber driver who was at the wheel, but an individual who had contracted work with Uber.
This means that you can’t use Uber. Your options are to seek compensation through your insurance company who would get it from the driver’s insurance or to go directly through the driver’s insurance. Another option is to sue the driver directly since they are the ones responsible.
