All traffic accidents are distressing, especially those involving serious injuries, but ridesharing accidents can be particularly difficult to manage. The experienced personal injury attorneys at Nagel Rice LLP have been successfully handling ridesharing accidents for New Jersey clients since rideshare companies first came on the scene. Our rideshare accident attorneys provide victims with strong legal representation and personalized support.
What are the first steps to take after you are involved in a ridesharing accident?
- Get Out of the Line of Fire
Don’t try to do anything before you and others at the scene are out of danger. That means getting everyone off to the side of the road, safe from traffic. Also, make certain that everyone is at a safe distance from any vehicle in danger of catching fire or exploding.
- Get Any Necessary Medical Attention
After a rideshare accident, as after any vehicular accident, it is crucial to check whether anyone is injured and, if so, to get emergency medical attention. This includes people, yourself included, who think their injury is minor since physical shock and emotional trauma can temporarily disguise the severity of an injury.
Because many injuries take days or even weeks to make themselves apparent, after an auto accident a trip to the doctor for a checkup is a good idea, even if you feel unscathed.
- File a Police Report
Whether or not anyone is injured, the police should be notified and a police report should be filed. You should not leave the scene of the accident until the police officer says that it’s all right to do so (unless, of course, an ambulance took you away).
- Collect Information About the Rideshare Driver and Others at the Scene
It is essential to obtain the rideshare driver’s insurance, license, registration information, the name of the company under whose auspices he or she works, and his or her ID number as a rideshare driver.
It’s a mistake to assume that the rideshare company and the police will take care of everything. Make sure you have contact information for any other drivers involved and any witnesses of the incident. You will also, of course, have to share your pertinent information as well.
- Document the Site, the Vehicles and the Visible Damages (Property and Personal)
Photographs and notations made at the scene may be invaluable in boosting your claim if you have to file a lawsuit to receive the damages you deserve, so try to think clearly. If you are injured and cannot take such photographs, ask someone else at the scene to do so.
If possible, take photographs from various angles and photographs that also show traffic signs or signals, and any other pertinent details (e.g. a large pothole on the road, a construction site barrier, or a fender detached by the accident. Also, make sure to retain your rideshare receipt.
- Get in Touch with Our Sharp Rideshare Accident Attorneys
Don’t try to get involved with filing a lawsuit against a rideshare driver or company without first coming to Nagel Rice for a free consultation. There are many reasons that this will be an important step because our ridesharing accident lawyers will:
- Handle all communications with opposing attorneys and insurance adjusters
- Investigate the site of your accident and all surveillance videos
- Examine police records and medical reports
- Investigate any prior records of negligence on the part of the defendant(s)
- Interview witnesses
- Determine liability
- Consult with accident reconstruction experts and/or experts in other fields who will, if necessary support your case in court
- Charge you no attorneys’ fees until we win your case
Most importantly, our rideshare accident attorneys will put your best interests first and fight aggressively to recover the damages you are entitled to for medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering.
What makes a rideshare accidents different from other traffic accidents?
For one thing, liability questions arise depending on whether the rideshare driver was or was not “on the app” at the time of the collision. If the driver was connected to the company and waiting to be hailed by a potential passenger or was in the process of picking up or delivering a passenger at the time of the accident, the rideshare company, as well as the driver, may be responsible for injury claims.
On the other hand, if the driver was running a personal errand or had not yet clocked in, a lawsuit for damages will only be able to target the driver, not the company.
Because, in the vast majority of cases, the company offering rideshare service has much deeper pockets than the rideshare driver, the driver’s status will significantly change the situation. To illustrate, Uber and Lyft, the two primary rideshare companies, carry $1 million in liability coverage if their drivers are actually en route when their negligence causes someone else’s injury.
Contact Our Accomplished New Jersey Ridesharing Accident Attorneys Today
If you were a passenger in a rideshare vehicle in which the driver’s recklessness or negligence on the part of the rideshare company caused an accident in which you were injured, you need the efficient, caring services of Nagel Rice. We will take over all logistical and legal matters while you concentrate on recovery. Contact us so we can begin fighting for your right to just compensation.