The answer to this question depends upon the circumstances.
Generally speaking, if the Uber or Lyft driver who is responsible for causing your accident is driving for personal reasons and is not working or actively seeking to pick up passengers then, in most cases, you will have to look to their personal motor vehicle insurance policy for coverage.
If the Uber or Lyft driver is deemed to be working and is found to be liable for causing the accident, then in certain cases you may first look to the personal motor vehicle insurance policy and then to the policy covered by the rideshare company. Some personal motor vehicle insurance policies will exclude driving for commercial purposes so there may be a claim of this being an excluded accident where no coverage is available.
There can be a number of complicated issues regarding fault, causation, damages, pre-existing medical problems, over treatment of one's claimed injuries, and insurance coverage issues so it is very important that you contact an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer at the earliest possible moment so you can have your case properly investigated.
Some of the issues that might need to be investigated are as follows:
Who is at fault for the accident?
If you are a passenger, then you will not be at fault but the issue might become whether or not one person or multiple people are responsible for your injuries and damages and what insurance companies are legally liable to pay you. This seemingly easy analysis of fault can be complicated when there are multiple parties, with multiple claims of who is at fault, with multiple insurance policies, with potential claims of no coverage being available;
What is the nature and extent of your injuries and damages?
Insurance companies like to downplay a person's injuries. In some cases, the insurance company will claim that there were pre-existing injuries or conditions and therefore the injuries sustained in the new motor vehicle accident are not their responsibility. In other cases, the insurance company might claim that you were not that seriously injured because you were not taken by ambulance from the accident site or that you over treated for your injuries or that your claimed injuries are not the responsibility of the insured driver; and
What is the value of your case?
Again, you will want to consult with an experienced Connecticut accident attorney at the earliest possible moment so that you can be advised as to what you should be doing and what you should not be doing, what you can do to properly document your injuries, and how you can assist your lawyer in getting you more money for your Connecticut Uber or Lyft case.
Many times an injured party will want to know how long it will take to settle their Connecticut accident case. The answer to this question is rather complicated and depends upon a great number of issues, such as:
- Generally speaking, a Connecticut injury lawyer will not be able to resolve your claim unless and until your doctor discharges you from his or her care and indicates that you are as well as you were going to be. However long this takes, depending upon the nature and extent of your injury, will generally drive the amount of time it will take your Connecticut accident lawyer to resolve your case.
- If there are multiple parties involved with multiple insurance companies then generally they will want to point the finger at each other and state that someone else is responsible for your injuries and damages and not their particular driver. It is important in these types of cases that a private investigator interview as many witnesses as possible so as to make it easier to prove who is responsible for your injuries and damages.
- How much money is available to compensate you? If you have a claim against Uber or Lyft you could have as much as $1 million in available insurance coverage. If there is some type of exclusion as to why these companies are not responsible for your injuries and damages then you may have as little as $25,000 per person or up to $50,000 per accident to compensate you by the responsible party's insurance company.
- Are there other complications that are present in your case? Do you have pre-existing medical problems or conditions that have been made worse by this accident? Is there a claim that you over-treated for your injuries or that you did not follow your doctor's instructions which might result in a claim that the insurance company will state that you didn't do what you were supposed to do to get better? Are there complicated lost wage issues that are difficult to prove? Is there future medical care and treatment that the insurance company will either claim you don't need or will contest the amount of money you need to pay for these? As well as many other issues which could be present.
If you are involved in any type of rideshare accident, then it is extremely important that you contact an experienced Connecticut personal injury lawyer at the earliest possible moment. There are a great number of issues present and multiple investigations might need to be started as quickly as possible to properly develop your case.
Our Connecticut accident attorneys handle these cases on a contingency fee basis and advance the costs to develop your case. In other words, you do not have to come up with any money out of your own pocket to have our lawyers represent you.
Do not wait and make a mistake in attempting to handle your own Uber or Lyft accident case. Click here to contact us today!
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