Oklahoma City Uber Accident Lawyer
When everything goes to plan, the services offered by Uber and other ridesharing companies are both convenient and affordable. However, when something goes wrong and a crash occurs, the results can be utterly devastating. Victims can be killed or severely injured and left with a mountain of medical bills.
Fortunately, if you have been injured in an Uber accident, you may not need to empty your own bank account to pay your healthcare costs. Instead, it might be possible to file suit against the at-fault party to recover some much-needed financial restitution. To do so, however, you will need the assistance of an experienced Oklahoma City Uber accident lawyer, like those here at the McGuire Law Firm.
How Our Law Firm Can Help You Fight for Compensation After Your Ridesharing Accident
At the McGuire Law Firm in Oklahoma City, we believe that anyone who is injured in an accident involving an Uber vehicle should be fully compensated for their damages. When you hire us to help you fight for the financial restitution you deserve, we will:
Provide You with Sound Legal Advice
As you work through your Uber accident lawsuit, you are likely to come face to face with a wide range of tricky situations that may impact the eventual outcome of your case. Fortunately, you won't need to figure out how to deal with these difficult scenarios alone. Our team of experienced personal injury attorneys in Oklahoma City will be on-hand to advise you on the best path forward.
Search for Evidence to Help Your Case
To emerge from your Uber accident lawsuit with a check in-hand, you will almost certainly need to prove that:
- The other party behaved negligently or recklessly
- Their negligent or reckless behavior caused you to become injured
- Your injury is as severe as you claim
When you work with the McGuire Law Firm, we will help you search for the evidence you need to prove these three key points.
Negotiate a Settlement with the Other Party's Insurance Company
Depending on the circumstances surrounding your car accident, it may be possible to settle the matter out of court. Before a deal can be made, however, a period of negotiation will almost certainly be necessary. Our attorneys have been negotiating settlements with Oklahoma insurance companies for years, so you can be confident that you will be well-represented at the negotiating table when you hire us.
Would you like to have an Oklahoma City car accident lawyer from the McGuire Law Firm help you fight for the compensation you deserve? If so, all you need to do is give us a call or contact us online to arrange a free case evaluation at our Oklahoma City law offices.
Common Causes of Uber Accidents
Every year, thousands of Americans are injured and killed in accidents involving rideshare services like Uber. Those accidents are typically caused by one or more of the following factors:
Distracted Driving
It is, unfortunately, not uncommon for Uber drivers to spend a great deal of time looking at their phone while driving around Oklahoma City. When they do so, they lose the ability to fully focus on the road ahead - making accidents an inevitability.
Speeding
When they try to reach their next fare as quickly as possible, Uber drivers often travel at speeds in excess of the posted limit. In doing so, they make it much more difficult for them to react to upcoming obstacles. As such, it is no surprise that speeding is one of the leading causes of rideshare accidents.
Drunk Driving
When Uber drivers drink alcohol before or during their shift, their ability to safely operate their vehicle becomes severely impaired. They are likely to have trouble staying in their lane and may struggle to react to the movements of the road users in their vicinity. These behaviors frequently result in serious collisions.
Fatigued Driving
Uber drivers can set their own hours - and the size of their paycheck is generally quite closely tied to the length of time they spend on the road. As such, in an attempt to maximize their earnings, they often spend too long behind the wheel, become tired, and cause crashes.
Inexperienced Drivers
Uber does not force its drivers to undergo any special training before picking up passengers. As a result, their drivers often do not have the expertise necessary to deal with the tricky scenarios they encounter as they travel around Oklahoma City. This inexperience frequently causes them to get into collisions with other road users.
Poorly Maintained Vehicles
Uber does not carry out any maintenance work on the vehicles operated by its drivers. This lack of servicing often leads to key components of these cars breaking or malfunctioning - an issue that can easily result in an accident.
Were you recently involved in an Uber accident in Oklahoma City? If so, you may be entitled to financial restitution. Reach out to the McGuire Law Firm today to learn more about your legal options.
Common Injuries Sustained By the Victims of Uber Accidents
The types of injuries sustained by the victims of Uber accidents in Oklahoma City are dependant on a wide range of factors, such as:
- The speed of the collision
- Their position in the vehicle
- The safety features in their vehicle
A short sampling of some of the most common injuries sustained by Oklahomans who are involved in rideshare accidents would include:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Burns
- Fractured bones
- Amputations
- Internal organ injuries
- Soft tissue injuries
Do you need a skilled Uber accident attorney to help you fight for compensation for your injury? If so, please pick up the phone and reach out to the McGuire Law Firm in Oklahoma City. Our legal team is always ready, willing, and able to assist.
Who is Liable for Uber Accidents in Oklahoma?
Before filing a lawsuit in the state of Oklahoma, plaintiffs must identify the party that is liable for their damages. For Uber accident suits, this process can be a little complex. That's because, in such cases, the liable party is determined by how the Uber app was being used at the time of the crash.
Uber App Not in Use
Rideshare drivers are not typically classified as employees of the company with which they work. As such, when they get into crashes while their app is switched off, they are generally held personally liable for any damages. Therefore, the victims of such collisions are almost always compensated through the driver's personal insurance coverage.
Uber App in Use and Searching for Fares
As soon as an Uber driver switches on their app and begins looking for fares, they are covered by the rideshare company's liability insurance. If they collide with a pedestrian, bicyclist, or another road user, Uber is typically named as the liable party, and this coverage is used to provide the victim with compensation.
The limits of this insurance policy are as follows:
- Per-person bodily injury coverage - $50,000
- Per-accident bodily injury coverage - $100,000
- Per-accident property damage coverage - $25,000
Uber App in Use with a Passenger On-Board
Once a driver picks up a passenger, Uber automatically increases their liability coverage to offer up to $1,000,000 in third-party liability coverage. This improved policy also includes coverage for uninsured and underinsured bodily injuries.
When drivers with a passenger on-board get into collisions, Uber is almost always found to be the liable party and this policy is used to provide the victim or victims with financial restitution.
The car accident lawyers here at the McGuire Law Firm have been helping the people of Oklahoma City file suit against rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft for many years. When you are ready to hire us to represent you in your fight for financial restitution, just give us a call and set up a free consultation with a member of our experienced team.
What is the Deadline for Filing Uber Accident Lawsuits in Oklahoma?
According to section 12-95 of the Oklahoma Statutes, the victims of car accidents in the Sooner State have two years to file suit against the at-fault party. Those who fail to meet this deadline typically lose their right to financial restitution.
In most cases, the countdown clock on this two-year statutory window begins of the day the accident occurred. However, for victims that did not discover their injury until weeks or months later, the start date can be pushed back to the day they are diagnosed.
Is the deadline to file your Uber or Lyft accident lawsuit coming up in the not-too-distant future? Then please do not hesitate to contact the personal injury attorneys here at the McGuire Law Firm in Oklahoma City. We will work tirelessly to try to help you submit your paperwork before your statutory window closes.
Need a Knowledgeable Uber Accident Lawyer in Oklahoma City? Contact Our Law Firm Today
If you have been injured in an accident involving a rideshare vehicle and need an experienced attorney to help you pursue financial restitution, please contact our Oklahoma City law office at (405) 513-5658 as soon as possible. We have been fighting on behalf of the people of Oklahoma City for years - and we are ready to do the same for you.
