Philadelphia Uber & Rideshare Accident Lawyers
You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are a lot of car accidents on the congested streets of Philadelphia and the surrounding area, and many of them involve Uber drivers. And sadly, that’s when you need a Philadelphia Uber accident lawyer.
Why?
Because Uber drivers are not professionals — they are everyday drivers just like us who are using their personal vehicles to make extra cash. Also, Philadelphia is a hot tourist destination. Tourists are frequent users of Uber, both to and from PHL and around town.
Uber drivers may not be skilled drivers, or perhaps their vehicle is not in good repair. Bald tires are a common cause of accidents in slick weather. Maybe the Uber driver doesn’t know the area well and that affects their response to the traffic around them. The Uber driver also could be in a rush to drop you off and pick up the next passenger.
Regardless of the reason for a rideshare accident, you need an experienced Philadelphia uber accident lawyer to help you.
Helping Victims of Uber Accidents in Philadelphia
If you’ve suffered serious injuries in an Uber-related accident, call Cousin Benny’s Philadelphia car accident lawyers immediately. We help drivers, passengers, pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists get the compensation they deserve when they get injured in an Uber accident in Philadelphia. We can help you too.
Free Consultations Offered
Discuss your Uber accident case with us free of charge. We look forward to hearing your story and helping you receive fair compensation for your injuries.
No Fee Until You Win
We take Philadelphia Uber accident cases on a contingency basis only. This means that our rideshare accident lawyers do not get paid unless and until you do.
Areas We Serve
Other Cases We Handle
Our personal injury attorneys are well-versed in a variety of motor vehicle accident cases in Philadelphia, PA, including:
- Car Accidents
- Head-On Collisions
- Rear-End Collisions
- Truck Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Rideshare or Uber Accidents
- DUI Accidents
- Distracted Driving Accidents
- Hit and Runs
- Police Chase Accidents
- And Many Other Car Accident Cases
Why You Should Hire a Philadelphia Uber Accident Lawyer
Determining Cause and Liability
Pennsylvania is a modified comparative fault state regarding motor vehicle accidents. This means that anyone 50% or less at fault for causing the accident can recover monetary damages from the other parties involved.
Cause and liability are hotly contested issues in all Philadelphia car accident cases, including Uber accidents and other rideshare accidents. In cases where Uber does not own the car, the driver’s personal liability insurance takes effect. Uber may contest liability and try to force you or the other driver’s insurance company to pay in full.
This is when you need an experienced Uber accident lawyer in Philadelphia to fight for you.
Properly Value Your Case
Once cause and liability are established, you need an experienced Philadelphia Uber accident attorney to accurately assess your damages. Understandably, the insurance company will likely undervalue your claim. Again, your personal injury attorney helps you calculate and prove the compensation you deserve.
Handling Insurance Companies
Insurance companies will give you the run around and stall in settlement negotiations just to wear you down and make you vulnerable to accepting a minimum settlement offer. A tough personal injury lawyer is not only a buffer between you and the insurance company–they keep after the insurance company to offer an appropriate settlement and will litigate if they do not.
Let Cousin Benny’s legal team handle the insurance company and seek compensation on your behalf while you recover from your Uber accident.
Damages Available After a Philadelphia Uber Accident
If you’ve been involved in an accident that an Uber driver caused, you can recover both economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the expenses you incur due to your Uber accident. These may include medical bills, rehabilitation, medications, and lost wages if you miss work due to your Uber accident injury. If your injury affects your ability to do your job, you may be entitled to compensation for future wages.
Non-economic damages are available if you suffer chronic pain, are disfigured, lost a limb, or have other long-lasting impairments from your Uber accident injury. These include compensation for emotional distress, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life.
Equally, we defend the victims of distracted driving crashes, hit and run accidents, and rear end collisions.
Every Uber accident victim has different circumstances. At Cousin Benny, our attorneys work with our team of forensic and medical experts to calculate each facet of your damages. Trust us to make sure you get the compensation you deserve.
Start your Uber accident claim with Cousin Benny today.
How Liability and Fault Are Determined in an Uber Accident Lawsuit
Whether an Uber driver is liable for damages from a car accident in Philadelphia depends upon whether they are working or not.
If their Uber app is off, they are using their vehicle for personal use and they are personally liable for any car accidents they cause. Their personal car insurance is involved. In Pennsylvania, this means that the driver may have as little as the minimum $15,000 in bodily injury coverage per person per accident.
If their Uber app is on and they are accepting passengers, Uber supplements the driver’s personal car insurance coverage with an additional $50,000 of coverage per person.
If the driver has their Uber app turned on and they have accepted an Uber passenger, and are either en route or are transporting a passenger, Uber provides $1 million of liability coverage and another $1 million for uninsured and underinsured motorist insurance. Other ridesharing services such as Lyft provide similar coverage.
What are Common Causes of Uber Accidents in Philadelphia
The top causes of Uber accidents in Philadelphia are:
- Driver inattention or distracted driving
- Speeding
- Aggressive driving
- Driving too fast for road, weather, or traffic conditions
- Failure to yield
- Failure to signal
- Failure to properly merge
- Brakes failed or driver failed to brake
An experienced Uber accident attorney can investigate your case to determine how the accident occurred and identify who is responsible for it.
How Are Uber Accidents from Different Regular Car Accidents?
Many car accident victims underestimate the complexity of rideshare accident cases. Legal claims involving Uber accidents are fundamentally different from typical car accident claims because of the complex legal and insurance issues involved in the rideshare industry.
Some of the complexities you may encounter with a rideshare accident claim could include:
- Multiple insurance policies: The driver’s liability policy, the rideshare company’s policy, and the policies of other at-fault parties could all apply. It may be necessary to file certain claims first and have them denied before you can seek compensation under secondary policies. Also, your lawyer may need to demand driver logs and other evidence to establish where the rideshare driver was in the transaction to establish which insurance policy should apply.
- Multiple at-fault parties: The Uber driver, other drivers, the government, or other parties could have contributed to the accident. This dynamic could incentivize potential defendants and insurance companies to deny your claim and try to blame others for the accident to protect their own wealth. An extensive investigation may be necessary to prove fault.
- Independent contractor status: Many people might think that the process might be more lucrative when a large corporation like Uber is involved. However, Uber and other rideshare companies have largely been able to avoid liability by categorizing their drivers as independent contractors. Because they are not the employer, they are not vicariously liable for the actions of the drivers in most cases.
- Aggressive insurance companies: If Uber’s maximum $1 million auto policy applies, you can expect the insurance company to fight aggressively to avoid paying out large claims.
Due to these complexities, you need an experienced rideshare accident attorney.
Who Is Responsible for an Uber Accident?
Uber drivers are not always safe drivers, and they can be responsible for accidents. However, they may not be the only parties responsible for injuries.
Other drivers could contribute to accidents. It’s essential that you properly account for other drivers involved in Uber accidents so you can maximize the potential compensation you can recover. Other drivers could have been speeding, distracted, or otherwise driving in an unsafe manner.
At the scene of the accident, collect all necessary information from all involved drivers, including their contact information, insurance information, and description of their vehicles. Take pictures at the accident scene to further document their presence and how they may have contributed to the accident.
When you report the accident to Uber and your insurance company, describe these other drivers and vehicles, as this information can help insurance companies accurately determine liability. Provide this information to your Uber accident lawyer, too, who can conduct an independent investigation into the cause of the crash and evaluate all potential sources of financial compensation to maximize your recovery.
Evidence to Help Establish Fault in an Uber Accident
To recover compensation after an auto accident, you will need to establish that the Uber driver or another driver acted negligently in causing the accident that injured you. Evidence that may help establish your legal claim may include:
- Driver logs
- Cell phone records
- Background checks
- Photos of the accident scene
- Videos from traffic cameras, onboard cameras, dash cams, or surveillance cameras
- Witness statements
- Accident reconstruction reports
- Physical evidence, such as the location and severity of vehicle damage and skid marks
Your rideshare accident attorney can help identify, preserve, and collect evidence that helps establish your claim.
Types of Uber Vehicles That Might Be Involved in an Accident
Uber is the largest ridesharing company in the world. It has expanded over the years to provide additional services and more flexible options for passengers. As such, any of the following types of vehicles could be involved in a crash:
- UberX, which is the most basic Uber service and allows up to four passengers per trip
- UberXL, which involves larger vehicles, such as
- SUVs or vans
- UberX Share in which passengers share a ride with another passenger
- UberXSaver, which offers lower prices if the passenger is willing to wait longer for a trip
- Uber Comfort, which offers rides provided by newer cars that offer extra legroom
- Uber WAV, in which wheelchair accessible vehicles provide transportation
- Uber Green, which offers rides in electric vehicles
- Uber Black, which provides higher-end luxury black cars and drivers with commercial driver’s licenses
- Uber Eats, a delivery service
The Lawyers of Cousin Benny Are Here For You 24/7
Commonly Asked Questions About Uber Accidents
What Are the Most Common Types of Uber Accidents?
OpenDataPhilly provided statistics from the most common types of rideshare accidents and similar kinds of motor vehicle collisions in 2023, which included:
- 842 Uber/Lyft crashes
- 325 taxi rear-end accidents
- 152 limo crashes
- 202 passenger door injury accidents involving for-hire vehicles
Approximately 2.7% of all for-hire-vehicle crashes occurred as airport pickups and dropoffs.
Rideshare accidents can take many forms, including:
- Accidents in which a rideshare passenger is injured
- Accidents in which an occupant in a vehicle hit by a rideshare vehicle was injured
- Accidents in which pedestrians or bicyclists are injured
What Should I Do If I’m Involved in an Uber Accident?
If an Uber driver crashes, call the police to the scene. Document the scene and get contact information from all witnesses if not too seriously hurt. A smartphone helps — document the scene by taking any pictures you can of the accident.
If an ambulance arrives, take it to the hospital, otherwise, seek medical attention as soon as you can — many injuries from car accidents do not manifest symptoms until hours or days after the accident.
Last, do not try to negotiate with the insurance company or their lawyer without seeking professional legal representation from an experienced Philadelphia car accident attorney who can accurately value your case.
When Can I File An Uber Accident Lawsuit in Philadelphia?
Pennsylvania’s Statute of Limitations states that you have two years to file a lawsuit after an Uber accident in Philadelphia. However, we advise you to contact an attorney as soon as you can after an Uber accident to preserve evidence such as the vehicles, the scene, and witnesses’ memories.
How Do I Get Compensation After An Uber Accident in Philadelphia
After an accident, you may be offered a settlement amount from Philadelphia Uber drivers’ personal insurance or Uber’s insurance. Almost all initial settlement offers are woefully low. Call the lawyers at Cousin Benny to ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
When Should I Call a Personal Injury Lawyer After a Rideshare Accident?
Call an experienced personal injury lawyer as soon as you are able after an Uber accident or other rideshare accident. Why? Because your Uber accident lawyer will get to work right away gathering evidence and negotiating with the liable parties’ insurance companies.
How Much is My Uber Accident Case Worth?
The value of your Uber accident case depends upon the extent of your injuries, the cost of your treatment, and whether there are long-lasting consequences for you. If the liable party’s conduct in causing the accident was particularly reckless or otherwise egregious, your monetary award may increase significantly due to punitive damages.
Contact Our Attorneys Today to See How Much Your Case is Worth
At Cousin Benny, we treat our clients like family. Our attorneys want to know how your Uber accident has affected your life, and we can help you going forward. Call our lawyers today to schedule a free consultation about your case.