When you get into an accident with a dangerous Uber or Lyft driver, it can put your life and safety at risk. If you were injured in one of these accidents, you should seek help from our lawyers immediately to seek out the maximum compensation you could be entitled to. Without getting help from a lawyer, you could end up accepting low-dollar insurance settlements that might not cover your injuries in full.
Our lawyers work to help you discover all damages you could be entitled to, including full compensation for your medical care, reimbursement for your lost earnings, and damages for your pain and suffering. Uber and Lyft’s insurance companies and the insurance companies for the specific driver who hit you will have their adjusters and lawyers fight to shut down your case, so you should have your own lawyers, too.
Call Legal Care New Jersey today at (732) 838-9769 for a free case assessment with our Uber and Lyft accident lawyers.
Holding Drivers Responsible for Uber and Lyft Crashes in New Brunswick
If an Uber driver or a Lyft driver caused your crash, they should be held accountable. In New Jersey’s car insurance system, this might not always be possible, but our lawyers can help you get compensation from the proper insurance companies and policies to get you the damages you need. If you have “serious injuries,” we will do what we can to file a lawsuit against the driver and maximize your damages in court.
NJ’s No-Fault System
Insurance in NJ works on a no-fault system. This means that your own insurance is supposed to cover your injuries and injuries to any passengers in your car, regardless of who caused the crash. However, there are some ways that you can reach beyond this coverage and get the at-fault driver to cover your injuries.
If you were an Uber or Lyft passenger, then the driver’s insurance should cover you. This will usually mean coverage from a mix of sources, starting with the insurance that these rideshare companies provide their drivers and potentially ending with the driver’s own rideshare or commercial driver’s policy.
If you were in another car that was hit by the Uber driver, then you could be required to use your own insurance first. However, if your injuries are considered “serious” by NJ’s legal standards – usually requiring a permanent injury or a compound fracture – then you can sue instead. If your insurance policy is an “unlimited right to sue” policy, then you retain your right to sue for any crash and do not need serious injuries first.
Holding Uber Drivers Liable
If you can sue, then the driver who caused the accident will be the defendant. If that driver was an Uber or Lyft worker, then you should be able to sue them directly. Their insurance will often provide them with a lawyer and pay for damages, meaning it is important to have a strong legal team at your side as well – and our Uber and Lyft accident lawyers are prepared to help.
Holding Other Drivers Liable
If another driver caused the crash, you might be able to go after them instead. Remember that the driver’s own insurance usually covers them and their passengers first. Ultimately, if you were an Uber or Lyft passenger and you were hit by another car, Uber/Lyft’s high insurance limits might mean you do not even need to take this extra step if you can get full compensation from that insurance. However, we may be able to go after the at-fault third-party driver for additional damages in serious injury cases.
If you were in another car and you and the rideshare driver were both hit by a third driver, you might both have a case against the other driver. However, do not neglect the fact that your own insurance might help you substantially before you even need to consider additional damages.
Can You Sue Uber or Lyft for Accidents in New Brunswick?
Generally speaking, Uber and Lyft cannot be reached directly in these lawsuits. If you are entitled to sue, then your case usually ends with the individual driver. While many accidents involving commercial drivers can be filed against the driver’s employer, these rideshare companies do not actually hire their drivers as employees. Whether this is fair or not, it usually insulates rideshare companies from lawsuits.
Even so, the insurance these companies provide can still help to cover injuries to rideshare passengers and others injured in their drivers’ accidents. And, even if these insurance policies do not cover you, the individual rideshare driver is required to have commercial or rideshare driver insurance to cover you as well.
Damages for Injured Uber/Lyft Accident Victims in New Brunswick, NJ
When you file through your own no-fault insurance, you are usually limited to coverage for a percentage of your medical bills and lost wages. When you file a claim against a rideshare company’s liability insurance, it might be able to cover additional damages. In any case, a lawsuit against the at-fault driver is more expansive.
These lawsuits can cover your injuries in full, accounting for any and all damages that the accident caused you. That can involve compensation for vehicle damage if you were in another car as well as damages related to your injuries and medical treatment. If your injuries stopped you from being able to work on a temporary or permanent basis, compensation for your lost wages should be claimed.
Additionally, a lawsuit can result in pain and suffering damages to account for all of the emotional distress, mental anguish, and physical pain that comes along with an injury. No-fault insurance usually does not cover these damages, so filing a lawsuit is important if it is available.
Call Our Rideshare Accident Lawyers Today
If you were hurt in a crash involving an Uber or Lyft, call Legal Care New Jersey’s Uber and Lyft accident lawyers at (732) 838-9769.
