Rideshare companies are extremely popular with more and more people joining forces as drivers and as riders. Did you know over 100 million people use rideshare services each month? With this many riders, many will suffer injuries in accidents on Minnesota roads. Unfortunately, just like any other vehicle on the road, rideshare cars get into accidents more frequently than we think.
If you’re injured in a rideshare accident, who pays? Because this area of law is new and evolving, make sure you partner with a trusted and skilled Minnesota lawyer who can guide you through the legal complexities ahead.
We’ll Help You Get the Results You Deserve
After a rideshare accident, the last thing on your mind may be hiring a lawyer. In reality, you may need an experienced legal advocate to help you get the compensation you need to fully recover from your injuries.
At Mottaz & Sisk Injury Law, we’ve been helping our injured Minnesota neighbors hold negligent parties responsible for many years. You likely face many financial, medical, employment, and emotional pressures after an accident. To help you get through this challenging time, our legal team stands ready to help you hold the negligent party responsible for your rideshare accident and injuries.
Who Is At Fault for Your Rideshare Accident?
If you are an unfortunate victim of a rideshare accident, you may not know who is to blame for your injuries. Knowing who caused the accident is crucial to ensuring that you file a personal injury claim against the right party.
What makes rideshare accidents more complex than your everyday car accident is that the rideshare driver is not an employee of the rideshare company. They are independent contractors who must carry their own car insurance. But some rideshare companies also require drivers to use their company’s insurance carrier. If they don’t, they could deny any claims.
The rideshare company also makes it confusing to know when a driver is working and when they aren’t, which is important to know whose insurance coverage applies:
- If the driver is not using the rideshare app, their own insurance applies
- If the driver is using the app and available but does not have a rider, the driver’s own insurance applies up to their limit and then the rideshare company’s insurance kicks in
- If the driver is using the app and has a rider, the rideshare company’s insurance applies
In most cases, the most obvious place to look for accident liability is the driver. Drivers cause accidents in countless ways. Some of the most common are:
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Speeding
- Texting while driving
- Running a red light
- Aggressive driving
- Failure to yield
But the rideshare company could also be at fault in certain situations. Rideshare companies must conduct background checks on drivers to ensure the driver does not have a poor driving record. They must check if the driver has any felony convictions, hit-and-run accidents, DUI convictions, and any other driving record that may indicate they’re not a skilful driver. If a driver has this background but was still allowed to drive for a rideshare company, you may have a claim against the company for additional damages.
Common Rideshare Injuries
Car accident injuries vary greatly. Your specific injuries will depend on what type of vehicle you were in and whether you were in the rideshare vehicle or in your own vehicle at the time of the accident.
The most common injuries include:
- Burns
- Cuts and scrapes
- Sprains and strains
- Broken bones
- Neck and back injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
- Paralysis
- Amputation
While some of these injuries may seem minor, it’s worth nothing that even minor injuries can cause high medical bills. The lifetime costs of a concussion, a common car accident injury, can reach into the millions of dollars.
That’s why it’s crucial that you speak with an experienced Minnesota rideshare accident lawyer as soon as possible after your accident. You need an aggressive legal advocate on your side, fighting hard to protect your rights while you focus all of your attention on your health and recovery.
Getting Compensation for Your Rideshare Accident
Your ability to collect compensation can depend on the legal team you choose to guide you. When you get injured in a rideshare accident, you may need to file a personal injury claim for damages. In your claim, you will need to prove that someone else acted negligently, recklessly, or carelessly. As a result, you suffered injuries in an accident.
While it may seem obvious to you that someone else caused the accident, you were there after all, proving this to a legal standard may present challenges. You will need to have a full and thorough investigation of your accident, which may require the use of accident reconstruction experts. These experts can help your legal team determine the exact cause of your accident so they file your personal injury claim against the right party.
Your lawyer may try to get you compensation for:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Lost income
- Lost earning potential
- Loss of companionship
- Loss of life enjoyment
- Present and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation costs
Depending on the severity of your injuries, you may be out of work for a long time. This will severely hinder your ability to earn a living and support yourself. Without an income, you will have a hard time paying your regular bills, let alone your massive medical expenses.
But this is not a financial burden you should shoulder. These expenses and financial losses should be the sole responsibility of the at-fault party. The right legal team can help you hold that party accountable and work toward your shared goal of collecting maximum compensation.
You Must Act Fast After Your Rideshare Accident
After you have suffered injuries, the only thing on your mind is getting better and getting back to your regular life. We understand and we would want the same. But you have limited time to file a personal injury claim for damages. Minnesota law requires that you file your personal injury claim within two years from the date of your rideshare accident injuries.
If you miss this important filing deadline, you could miss out on your chance to collect maximum compensation for your injuries. Two years may initially seem like a long time, so you may think it’s alright to wait. But consider all the hurdles you face during that time:
- Multiple surgeries
- Extended hospital stays
- Extended time out of work
- Prescription medication costs
- Multiple trips to the doctor
- In facility rehabilitation
- In home care
The longer you wait, the more difficult it will be to prove your case, too. Eyewitness testimony is crucial to proving who was at-fault in your rideshare accident. But, over time, witnesses will forget what they saw. The sooner you speak with a lawyer, the sooner your lawyer can take witness statements and record their testimony.
Contact Mottaz & Sisk Injury Law Today
The lawyer you choose can make a difference in your ability to collect maximum compensation for your rideshare accident injuries. Because this area of law is evolving, you do not want to partner with an inexperienced attorney. You deserve someone with proven experience helping other rideshare accident injury victims recover compensation for their accident injuries.
Contact Mottaz & Sisk Injury Law today to learn more about how we can help you get the compensation you deserve.
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