Transportation is a major requirement for most of us, daily. From getting to work to picking up the kids, running errands, figuring out meals, and more, we usually need to get around town. If you don’t drive your own car or motorcycle, you may be savvy about other ways to navigate through your day, as much of the Millennial crowd does now, often eschewing the purchase of cars and choosing instead to rideshare, use public transportation, ride a bike, or walk.
No matter what your age or transportation status is, however, there may be times that you need to call an Uber or a Lyft or just hail a cab. And as traffic incidents continue to rise throughout the US and Houston, you can be assured that the more you use public transportation, the greater your chances are of seeing an accident occur. If you are traveling by bus or train and there is an accident, chances are the other party will bear the brunt of the harm, unfortunately. But if you have chosen to take an Uber, for example, and are in an accident where you experience physical injury, you should be compensated depending on who was at fault. You might take these steps after an auto accident.
If the Uber driver was at fault, you should be covered through Uber (not the driver’s personal insurance), in most cases—unless another driver caused the accident due to negligence. As a rule, Uber drivers are covered by Uber’s commercial insurance policy when their mobile app is running. If by some strange circumstance, you happened to cause the accident, then your insurer may be left liable for paying any claims.
Unfortunately, other drivers pose so many hazards today that you do take a chance any time you get behind the wheel. And even though texting and driving are banned in Texas, you may find that your Uber driver has one hand on the wheel—and one hand on their phone at all time! While it is understandable that they need to keep in touch with their electronics to act as their own personal dispatcher, plenty of hands-free devices are available, and they must pull over to interact with their device safely.
Perhaps you cannot be a defensive driver while riding as a passenger in an Uber, but you can ask that they refrain from distraction while driving or report them to the company if they seem to be paying more attention to their phone than the road.
If you have been injured in a car accident due to the negligence of others, please call the law offices of Andrew ‘Pike’ Piekalkiewicz, PLLC as soon as possible at (713) 748-7453 or visit AttorneySgtPike for a no obligation case review.
As a variation of the system employed in trucking cases, Sgt. Attorney Pike activates and deploys the Car Accident Response Team or C.A.R.T. ™ immediately after being hired and in appropriate cases. A team of specialized personnel trained in every aspect of car wrecks and injuries is deployed. Let us help you!
