If you have been injured by a ridesharing driver in New Jersey, you deserve compensation. You may be struggling with a serious, life-altering injury – such as a head injury or a spinal cord injury. Your injury may be preventing you from working and earning a living. In addition, you may be struggling with the psychological trauma of your accident, and you may have been diagnosed with a condition like PTSD. On top of all this, your medical bills may be piling up with alarming frequency. Facing these issues, one of your few options is to file a personal injury lawsuit with the help of a qualified attorney.
Your personal injury lawsuit can lead to a settlement. You can use this settlement to pay for your medical expenses, missed wages, emotional distress, and any other damages you might have incurred. While no amount of money can turn back time and prevent your accident from ever occurring, a settlement can provide you with a sense of justice and closure – perhaps making it easier to move on with your life as best as possible.
Common Accidents Caused by Ridesharing Drivers
Many types of accidents could potentially involve rideshare drivers. The most obvious example is an accident caused by distracted driving. Uber and Lyft drivers have to constantly monitor their phones or monitors in their vehicles for instructions. Uber/Lyft is constantly in contact with these drivers, telling them where to go and how much time they have to complete certain journeys. Because rideshare drivers are so distracted by their work, there is a much higher chance of accidents. For example, they could hit a cyclist because they were too busy replying to a text from Uber/Lyft. Another example would be a T-bone collision at an intersection because they were trying to check where their next fare was located.
Uber/Lyft drivers may also become highly reckless in their attempts to complete as many journeys per day as possible. These drivers are not paid by the hour. The more people they pick up, the more they make. This incentivizes them to rush as much as possible and drive in a highly unsafe manner. While there are certainly many responsible rideshare drivers out there, there are also those who abandon all semblance of safety in hopes of earning more money.
Does Uber/Lyft Pay Out Settlements?
Yes – Uber/Lyft has paid out many settlements for ridesharing accidents. That being said, Uber and Lyft are profit-driven corporations. They are not charities – and neither are the insurance companies that represent them in injury lawsuits. Because of this, they will fight tooth and nail to prevent you from receiving your fair share. Every dollar they save helps them boost their profit margins. Because of this, they will offer you the lowest settlement they think they can get away with.
At first, this might seem like a lot of money – especially if you are unfamiliar with how this system works. But the truth is that you may deserve much, much more. Low-ball offers should be avoided at all costs, and this is why it is so important to work with a qualified attorney. Our legal professionals can fight for your best interests and ensure you receive a settlement that reflects the true extent of your damages.
Not only will Uber/Lyft and other ridesharing companies attempt to offer you a low settlement, but they may also attempt to escape liability altogether. After you file your claim, they will launch their own investigation into the accident. Their goal is to search for any possibility of escaping liability. A qualified attorney can help you push back against these attempts – including their attempts to prove that you were at fault for your own injuries.
How Much Money Will I Receive for My Ridesharing Accident Lawsuit?
If you sue a ridesharing company, your total settlement amount will depend on several factors. The first thing you need to consider is the total amount of your economic damages. As the name suggests, your economic damages reflect all of your financial losses resulting from the accident, including medical expenses and missed wages. For example, you might have suffered a head injury that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat and diagnose properly. You may still be paying for rehabilitation therapy as you learn to live with the limitations of your head injury. Your injury might also have caused you to miss months or even years of work. Perhaps you will never work again. Even if you were working a minimum wage job, these months of missed wages could equate to many thousands of dollars in lost income. If you are a high earner, the financial consequences can be even greater.
Next, you will need to consider your total non-economic losses. These include damages like PTSD, depression, emotional distress, anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, humiliation, pain and suffering, and much more. Your non-economic damages are difficult to quantify with dollar amounts, and they typically take the form of a “general damages multiplier.” Multiply your general damages multiplier by your total economic damages, and you have a basic idea of how much your settlement is worth.
Where Can I Find a Qualified, Experienced Ridesharing Accident Attorney in Orange?
If you have been searching for a qualified, experienced personal injury attorney who can help you with your ridesharing accident lawsuit, look no further than Smith & Williams Law Firm, LLC. Over the years, we have helped numerous injured victims in the Orange area, including those who have been harmed by negligent ridesharing drivers. We know that this situation can be stressful, confusing, and traumatic. You may feel daunted by the prospect of filing a personal injury lawsuit. It is important to understand that you are not alone in this situation. You can get all the help you need by booking a consultation with us at your earliest convenience. Once you start the legal process, you can focus on the healing process while we pursue justice and fair compensation on your behalf. Book your consultation today to get started.
