Tucson Rideshare Accident Lawyer

Tucson Uber & Lyft Accidents Lawyer

Rideshare services have become a staple of the transportation networks of the country, and many people living in the Tucson area take advantage of Uber and Lyft on a regular basis.

While these services offer an accessible alternative to taxis and public transportation, it is important to remember that you face the same risks in a rideshare driver’s vehicle as you would in any other vehicle.

However, when rideshare accidents happen in Tucson, those affected tend to face much more challenging legal issues as they seek recompense for their losses.

Helping Rideshare Accident Victims Recover in Tucson, AZ

When you or a family member is struggling in the aftermath of a rideshare accident in Tucson, it is understandable to have many questions about how you can recover your losses and secure compensation for the harm you suffered.

Your recovery is likely to begin with an insurance claim against the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy, followed by a claim against the rideshare company’s insurance. You may then need to build a personal injury claim to recover any losses that available insurance can’t cover.

It is possible to navigate these complex legal proceedings on your own, but you have a much better chance of maximizing your compensation when you have the right personal injury attorney representing you. Bleaman Law Firm, PC, can offer the trustworthy legal counsel you need in this challenging situation.

Our firm knows how to confront the major insurance carriers, including those providing coverage to Uber and Lyft. In addition, we can help prove liability for your accident, uncover the scope of the damages you can claim from the defendant, and help maximize your recovery as fully as Arizona law allows.

Benefits of Hiring Legal Counsel You Can Trust in Tucson

Any motor vehicle accident in Tucson has the potential to be a life-changing experience, but rideshare accidents are particularly challenging to resolve due to the complexity of the insurance claim process that typically follows this kind of accident.

When you attempt to handle this type of case on your own, you are forced to contend with your medical issues and your legal proceedings simultaneously. Even if you manage to succeed in securing compensation, you risk settling for less than you legally deserve.

Hiring a Tucson rideshare accident attorney to represent you allows you to approach the recovery process confidently and with peace of mind. You can rest and recover knowing that your case is in capable hands and that you will have a responsive legal advocate readily available to assist you if you encounter any unexpected challenges on your path to recovery.

When you hire Bleaman Law Firm, PC, to represent your rideshare accident case, you can rest assured that our team has the experience and professional resources necessary to handle the most challenging aspects of your recovery efforts.

While each rideshare accident victim will face different challenges in their recovery efforts, anyone in this position benefits when they hire reliable legal counsel to represent them. Bleaman Law Firm, PC, will work diligently to gather the evidence you will need to prove fault for your accident.

Once we have identified the party or parties responsible for your damages, we can help determine the optimal path to recovery. For most people in this situation, this may entail one or more insurance claims followed by a personal injury action.

Proving Liability for Your Rideshare Accident in Tucson

Arizona upholds the fault rule for car accidents, meaning that you must prove liability for your recent rideshare accident before you can recover compensation. As a result, most of the motor vehicle crashes reported in Arizona each year result from negligence, or failure to use reasonable care.

However, it is also possible for illegal misconduct to cause a devastating accident, generating both civil claims for damages as well as criminal court proceedings.

A few of the most common causes of rideshare crashes in the Tucson area include:

• Distracted driving, which is the top-reported cause of all motor vehicle collisions in the country each year.
• Speeding, which not only increases the risk of an accident happening but also the severity of any resulting damages.
• Moving violations that interrupt the flow of traffic, such as running through red lights or failing to yield the right-of-way.
• Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol or drugs, which is a crime punishable by fines, jail time, and loss of driving privileges.

Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can assist you in identifying the party or parties responsible for your accident. Proving liability may require a combination of different types of evidence, such as testimony from witnesses who saw the accident happen firsthand, traffic camera footage, and drivers’ cell phone records.

Whether you were a passenger in a rideshare driver’s vehicle or in another vehicle hit by a rideshare driver, you must prove who caused your accident and how they caused it before you can recover your damages. The insurance that comes into play typically depends on the timing of the accident and who caused it.

Understanding Rideshare Insurance

Arizona law requires rideshare companies to maintain insurance separate from the insurance their drivers must carry. All drivers must have individual auto insurance that includes:

• $25,000 or more for bodily injuries to a single person in an accident caused by the policyholder.
• At least $50,000 in total accident liability coverage, which covers bodily injuries to more than one person in a single accident.
• $15,000 or more for property damage, which can go toward a victim’s vehicle repair costs and other property losses.

In addition to these required coverage options, drivers are also encouraged to have uninsured motorist coverage. Though not required by law, this can be a valuable addition to a personal auto insurance policy if the policyholder is harmed by a driver who does not have insurance. They can file a claim against their own coverage without incurring penalties because they did not cause the accident.

Uber and Lyft require their drivers to have personal auto insurance that meets Arizona’s minimum insurance requirements, but Arizona also requires these companies to have additional coverage. This rideshare insurance works in different ways depending on when an accident happens.

If a rideshare driver is not logged into their driver app and they are driving their vehicle for personal reasons, their own auto insurance applies if they cause an accident. However, once they have logged into their driver app and marked themselves as available for a passenger’s ride request, the rideshare insurance policy’s first level of coverage applies.

At this level, the rideshare insurance provides up to $50,000 in bodily injury liability coverage to a single person or up to $100,000 in bodily injury liability coverage for multiple victims, and it will also provide up to $25,000 in property damage liability coverage.

Once a rideshare driver picks up a passenger, the second level of the rideshare company’s insurance applies until they drop off the passenger at their destination. This level of coverage includes up to $1 million in third party liability coverage.

A claimant must first file a claim against the at-fault driver’s personal auto insurance. Once they exhaust this coverage, they can proceed with their claim against the rideshare company’s insurance.

How Your Attorney Can Help With Your Insurance Claim Process

It’s important to remember that dealing with any insurance company can be very difficult. Even if the fault for your accident seems perfectly clear, the actual process of holding an at-fault driver accountable and securing as much compensation as possible from their auto insurance policy can be very challenging.

Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can be an invaluable asset when it comes to filing your claim for coverage and resolving any controversies that arise between you and the insurance carrier.

Most insurance carriers train their representatives to look for all reasons they can find to justify the lowest possible settlement offers or deny claims outright. Unfortunately, some insurance companies even go as far as to engage in willful bad faith tactics to avoid paying out on claims.

Hiring a Tucson rideshare accident attorney to assist you with the claim filing process not only diminishes the chances of encountering any such bad faith handling of your claim but you will also be prepared to address it appropriately if it does occur.

Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can help draft your demand letter to the appropriate insurance carriers following your accident and ensure they handle your claims in good faith.

Once you receive a settlement offer, they can review it against the terms of the policy in question to verify that the insurance carrier has delivered a fair settlement offer. Then, after you secure as much compensation as possible through the insurance claim process, you can get on with a personal injury action if you have outstanding damages that insurance won’t cover.

Building a Personal Injury Case for a Rideshare Accident

Any motor vehicle accident has the potential to inflict life-changing injuries and a host of economic damages to the victim, and insurance may not fully cover the losses you experienced.

Even if you are able to maximize your insurance claim settlements through the at-fault driver’s personal auto insurance policy and the rideshare company’s insurance, this may not be enough to fully compensate for the spectrum of losses you suffered from the accident.

The objective of a personal injury claim is for the plaintiff to recover the compensation they need to become as whole as possible again after another party has harmed them. Under Arizona law, the plaintiff in a personal injury suit has the right to seek recompense for:

• Property damage: such as the cost of repairing or replacing the plaintiff’s vehicle. Available insurance coverage from the at-fault driver and/or the rideshare company may cover some or all these costs, but any property damage that cannot be recovered through insurance can be cited as economic damages in the plaintiff’s personal injury suit.
• Medical expenses: If the plaintiff suffered severe injuries, the available insurance coverage may only cover a portion of the total medical expenses they incurred after their accident. Therefore, you have the right to seek repayment of all immediate medical treatment costs you incur after your accident as well as the cost of ongoing rehabilitative care you require for severe injuries. For example, if you require multiple surgeries and months of physical therapy to fully rehabilitate, the defendant is responsible for all associated medical expenses.
• Lost income: Some victims of rideshare accidents cannot work while they recover from their injuries. If this applies to your situation, you can include your lost income in your personal injury claim as economic damages. Under Arizona law, the defendant is responsible for lost wages and lost earning capacity if your injuries are severe enough to prevent you from returning to work in the future.

When you have the right Tucson rideshare accident attorney representing you and they fully uncover the scope of your immediate and future economic damages, you may find out that the claim is worth much more than you anticipated.

However, you also have the right to claim pain and suffering compensation that can enhance your final case award even further.

How to Evaluate Pain and Suffering Compensation in a Rideshare Accident Case

The term “pain and suffering” may sound like it would be difficult to translate into monetary value. Yet, the average person is likely to struggle to attach a price to something like physical pain or emotional distress. Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can be an invaluable asset for helping you determine a suitable amount of pain and suffering compensation to seek from the defendant who injured you.

Arizona does not limit or cap pain and suffering compensation in most personal injury claims, so it is possible for this facet of your case award to overshadow the other types of compensation you recover from the defendant. For example, if you suffered a catastrophic injury that has left you permanently disabled, a good attorney can likely justify several times the amount of your total economic losses in pain and suffering compensation.

What to Expect From Your Tucson Rideshare Accident Attorney

Hiring an attorney after a car accident can significantly improve the quality of your recovery and your overall experience with the recovery process. Instead of contending with your medical needs and your legal affairs simultaneously on your own, you will be able to focus on recovery while your legal team manages your case.

Bleaman Law Firm, PC, takes a client-focused approach to personal injury counsel, learning as much as we can about our client and their experience to ensure we help them secure the fullest recovery possible.

Navigating the insurance claim process is the first step in your recovery from a rideshare accident, and this can be very difficult if you must file claims against both the at-fault driver’s personal auto insurance policy and the rideshare company’s insurance.

Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can assist you with your claims, and once you have recovered as much compensation as possible through insurance, they can help compile your personal injury case.

You may need to file a civil suit against a rideshare driver, their employer, or a third party that caused an accident while you were riding in a rideshare driver’s vehicle. Any civil claim in Tucson can be very challenging to navigate, but your attorney can be ready to answer questions and address concerns as they arise throughout these proceedings.

The majority of civil claims for damages filed in Tucson do not go to litigation. It benefits both parties to settle cases outside of court, avoiding the time investment and expense that litigation often entails.

Additionally, private settlement allows the parties involved to have more control over the outcome of the case, whereas litigation would mean the judge has the final say regarding liability for the plaintiff’s damages and how much they can receive from the defendant.

Time is an important factor to consider after any motor vehicle accident. You have a very limited time in which to file your insurance claim after an accident, and it is always preferable to approach the claim filing process supported by legal counsel.

Your attorney can help file your claim within the applicable deadline and ensure you receive a fair settlement offer. Securing legal counsel as soon as possible after your accident also helps ensure you meet the two-year statute of limitations for civil claims.

FAQs

Q: How Much Is My Rideshare Accident Claim Worth in Tucson?

A: Most vehicle accident victims are able to recover the total of their economic damages plus recompense for their pain and suffering. If you are able to prove liability for your rideshare accident and have the right attorney to handle your case, you could be entitled to claim more compensation than you may initially expect.

Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can be an essential asset for maximizing the results of your recovery efforts, both through available auto insurance and a subsequent personal injury case.

Q: Can I Sue Uber or Lyft for a Rideshare Accident?

A: Both Uber and Lyft are required to have auto insurance that can provide up to $1 million in third party liability coverage, but this may not be enough to fully compensate your losses if you suffered catastrophic injuries. Your Tucson rideshare accident attorney can help determine where to target your recovery efforts.

You will likely need to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s insurance before claiming against the rideshare company’s insurance. If this is not enough to fully compensate you for your losses, you may have grounds for a civil action against the rideshare company.

Q: Why Do I Need to Hire a Tucson Rideshare Accident Attorney?

A: There may not be a law requiring you to hire legal representation for your rideshare accident claim, but the right attorney can have a tremendously positive influence on the outcome of all your recovery efforts.

They can streamline the insurance claim process and help maximize the settlement offer you receive from an insurance carrier; they can also resolve any controversies that might arise between you and an insurance company.

In addition, if you must file a civil claim for damages, you are far more likely to fully recover when you have experienced legal representation on your side.

Q: Will the At-Fault Driver Go to Jail for Causing a Rideshare Accident?

A: When a driver is proven to be at fault for an accident, they face liability for all the damages they inflicted on others. However, they will only face criminal prosecution if they caused the accident through some illegal misconduct.

Reckless driving and DUI are the most commonly cited examples of this. In addition, penalties for DUI and other criminal actions are more severe when they result in severe bodily harm or death.

Q: How Much Will It Cost to Hire a Tucson Rideshare Accident Attorney?

A: Bleaman Law Firm, PC, uses the contingency fee billing system for our personal injury clients in Tucson. With this billing arrangement, our client is not required to pay upfront or ongoing legal fees for our firm’s representation.

Instead, we take a percentage of the total case award we win on their behalf, and only if we win our client’s case. If our team is unable to secure compensation for your damages for any reason, you are not obligated to pay anything, so there is no financial risk to hiring our team to represent you in your rideshare accident case.

Bleaman Law Firm, PC, has years of professional experience representing clients in a variety of motor vehicle accident cases, including those pertaining to rideshare drivers and their employers. Anyone who experiences this type of accident is likely to face a far more difficult series of complex legal issues than they would after a standard motor vehicle accident.

However, we can provide the comprehensive support you need to approach this case with confidence. Contact our team today and schedule a consultation with a Tucson rideshare accident attorney to learn more about how we can empower your recovery efforts.