In this day and age, residents all over Florida choose to use Uber or Lyft as a popular mode of transport. It’s quick, cheap, and very useful for ordering a quick ride to and from your desired location. Whether you are in a rush, stuck in a certain location, or need a fast lift, you can book a rideshare via your phone app in seconds. Uber and Lyft have completely changed the way that people travel and are growing as a company.
With such a large business making a high profit and continually expanding their company, you rarely think about your safety when entering an Uber or Lyft vehicle. You believe that as a paying customer, you are owed a duty of care and are obviously safe as a passenger. But with 14 million registered car owners on the busy streets of Florida, it is not out of the ordinary for car accidents to occur.
If you have been involved in an Uber or Lyft accident, then you could be owed compensation for your injuries, damages, or pain and suffering. Our legal team here at The Law Place is available to offer you a free consultation with one of our accident attorneys, which will allow you to explain to us the incident at hand, and in return allow us to offer you valuable advice and honest opinion using our many years of experience and knowledge.
Our phone lines are open for you to call us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. So call us at (941) 444-4444.
Uber and Lyft Liability in St. Petersburg
If you have unexpectedly been involved in a car accident whilst riding in an Uber or Lyft, then the likelihood is you were completely unprepared for such an incident. The chances are you have no idea of who to turn to for any damages or injuries you may have sustained.
If you were involved in an Uber or Lyft accident that was not the fault of the rideshare driver but the fault of a third party, then you should turn to the insurance company of the driver at fault to cover all damages. However, it can be difficult to prove the fault of a third party without sufficient evidence.
If you were involved in a rideshare accident that was the fault of the driver of the car you were in, then you should turn to your driver’s insurance company or rideshare company to take care of all damages. To be able to prove that your assigned rideshare drive was liable for the accident, you must ask the following:
- Was the rideshare driver in the process of transporting you to your destination?
- Was the rideshare driver in the process of picking up a passenger at the time that the car accident took place?
- Did the rideshare driver collect a passenger by using the Uber or Lyft phone app?
Provided that you were involved in a car accident whilst being a passenger in a Lyft or Uber ride under the above circumstances, then our law team believes you should be entitled to compensation. Our St. Petersburg car accident lawyers will be able to assist you in proving the liability of the driver who caused you to be involved in an accident by gaining the relevant evidence and asking all the right questions.
If you believe you were involved in an accident that was out of your control or that you’re not liable for, then you must contact The Law Place today for further advice on the next best steps for you at this time.
What Is Required to Become an Uber Driver or Lyft Driver?
In order to be able to work for Uber or Lyft as a rideshare driver, you must meet the following requirements:
- Meet the minimum age to drive in your city.
- Have at least one year of licensed driving experience in the U.S. (3 years if you are under 23 years old).
- Have a valid U.S. driver’s license.
- Use an eligible 4-door vehicle.
- A valid U.S. driver’s license.
- Proof of residency in your city, state, or province.
- Proof of vehicle insurance if you plan to drive your own car.
- A driver profile photo.
- Complete an online screening that will review your driving history and check for a clean criminal record.
If you were involved in an Uber or Lyft accident that was the fault of your rideshare driver, then your accident attorney will look into the records of your rideshare driver and question if they indeed met all of the above criteria. If a rideshare driver has failed to reach the criteria set out by Uber or Lyft, then this will be held against them, and they will be considered at fault for the incident and therefore liable for covering damages.
We’re here to serve you. Our phones are open 24 hours a day.
Florida’s No-Fault Insurance Laws
Florida is a no-fault state, as found in Florida Statute 627.7407. This means that it is the responsibility of the insurance company of the driver who was injured to cover damages. All typical insurance policies in Florida cover up to $10,000 worth of damages, meaning that any damages exceeding this amount will not be covered by your insurance company. At this point, you can then make a claim against the at-fault driver.
If you have been involved in an Uber or Lyft accident that caused you to suffer injuries or damages which exceed the amount of $10,000, then your personal injury lawyer may be able to help cover this excess cost of damages by helping you to receive a settlement or compensation.
We’re Florida’s top litigation team with over 75 years of combined experience
Types of Damages You Can Claim
Assuming that you suffered injuries or damages after being involved in an Uber or Lyft accident, then the chances are you have been left with a list of bills as a result. If this is the case, your accident attorney is here to fight for the payment you deserve and offer you financial support with some of these bills. For example, you might receive coverage for:
- Medical expenses– For time spent in the hospital recovering from your injuries. You may require future hospital appointments, or have been left with a huge bill of hospital room fees, ambulance costs, x-ray fees, etc.
- Lost wages– For time spent off work, at home, or in the hospital recovering from your injuries, meaning you have lost out on your usual wage or monthly income. This can result in you struggling to pay for child support, rent, paying for food, etc.
- Pain and suffering– The suffering you might be experiencing as a result of the car accident may go beyond just physical injuries. You might be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, flashbacks, nightmares, etc. If this is so, then you need to contact an accident attorney today, as we sincerely believe you deserve payment for your troubles.
- Wrongful death – If you have lost a loved one in a wrongful death due to an Uber or Lyft accident, then The Law Place is here to offer you financial support with funeral fees, medical bills that may have been left to you, emotional distress, etc.
From the initial call to updates on your case status, we are here to get you answers.
What to Do if You Are Injured in a St. Petersburg Uber Lyft Accident
If you were involved in an Uber or Lyft accident near St. Petersburg, FL., then you might not think to record or make notes of the accident straight away. However, it is extremely important to take certain steps after being involved in an incident in order to protect your legal rights. It is also vital as even the tiniest details of the event could be of huge aid to your case. By recording the accident and taking the following steps, you are helping to gain evidence for your claim, which your accident attorney can use. You must:
- Seek medical attention right away – You have up to 14 days from the date the incident took place to have your injuries looked at by a medical professional. If you do not have your injuries checked over, you will unlikely have your claim heard by a judge, as there will be no sufficient proof of your injuries.
- Contact the police – According to Florida Statute 316.066, you should report the incident to a law enforcement officer with 10 days of the accident. This will allow the police to record any witness statements and record the incident officially.
- Get insurance and witness information – It is extremely important to record the details of any witnesses, other drivers, or third parties that were involved in the accident so that you can later get in touch with them or their insurance companies if necessary.
- Take photographs – It is important to collect evidence of the accident by taking photographs of any damaged vehicles, damages to the surrounding area, injuries, skid marks on the road, broken glass on the road, etc. Photographs are considered to be solid evidence in proving who was at fault, so it is important to collect as much photographic evidence as possible in order to build up a strong claim.
How Will I Afford to Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you were involved in an Uber or Lyft accident and are thinking about filing a claim in order to gain compensation, you may have worries or concerns about how you are going to afford a lawyer. Our law firm assures you that all of our claims work strictly on a contingency basis, also known as a no-win-no-fee basis.
This simply means that unless your claim is successful and you receive a settlement, then you will not have to pay our lawyers a thing. Only if your claim is successful and you receive compensation will your accident lawyer take a small percentage of the payment directly from the summary to pay for all legal costs.
We promise that as our client, you only pay for the service we provide. This means that there is complete transparency on all of our costs, and there are absolutely no catches, hidden costs, or nasty surprises.
Contact The Law Place Today!
If you live near to the area of St. Petersburg, FL., and were unfortunate enough to be involved in an Uber or Lyft accident, then you would have likely been completely unprepared for such an incident. The best thing you can do for yourself if you wish to gain any compensation is to contact The Law Place today.
With over seventy-five years of combined experience in a range of personal injury cases, there is never a claim that our accident lawyers are unwilling to listen to or offer advice on. With a free consultation, we can serve you knowledgeable advice using our decades of experience, which will surely help you on your journey to gaining compensation.
To claim for your injuries or property damage, then please don’t hesitate to give our law team a call today, completely free. There is always a helping hand available for you at The Law Place (941) 444-4444.