West Valley City Uber and Lyft Rideshare Accident Attorney

Drivers today share the road with personal vehicles as well as commercial ones – but it’s getting harder to distinguish between the two. Employees working for Lyft or Uber can use their personal vehicles to work for the company or to drive folks around West Valley City and the surrounding areas.

While these services are useful, the position Uber and Lyft employees are in can make it difficult to establish liability in case of an accident. Fortunately, you’re not left holding the metaphorical bag if you get into a rideshare accident. Instead, you can consult with a 1Law West Valley City Uber and Lyft rideshare lawyer to determine what legal action you may be entitled to.

When to Take Action Against a Rideshare Company

You may have the right to take legal action against a rideshare company after an applicable car accident. To determine whether or not you can target one of these companies, you need to determine the status of the other driver involved in your accident.

Civil courts in Utah only allow you to raise a legal suit against a rideshare service if the driver who hit you was on duty at the time of your accident. You will subsequently need to prove that the driver was on duty, as defined by the rideshare company, before you can file a civil complaint.

That said, you shouldn’t wait to reach out to an attorney after you’ve been in a car accident. Our attorneys can help you determine the status of the driver and take action regardless of that driver’s status. We can advocate for your right to compensation whether you’re pursuing a rideshare accident complaint or a more traditional car accident complaint.

Rideshare Companies May Try to Deny You Your Right to a Civil Suit

As mentioned, some rideshare companies can try to deny you the right to take them to civil court. These companies may argue that the person who hit you wasn’t on duty at the time of your accident. Unfortunately, these companies can do so because they have hyper-specific definitions of what “on duty” means for their employees.

Drivers at Lyft and Uber are only on duty when driving to pick up passengers or ferrying passengers between locations. Drivers who are using a rideshare app to wait for passengers are protected by a company’s insurance but not technically on duty. Similarly, drivers using their vehicles for personal reasons receive no protection from their company.

These same definitions come into play when considering Lyft and Uber’s insurance policies. As such, the status of a driver at the time of a car accident can impact your civil process. You can discuss how your case may change based on a driver’s status when consulting with an Uber and Lyft rideshare accident lawyer in West Valley City.

Building Up Evidence in a Rideshare Civil Complaint

If you want to prove that a rideshare driver was on duty at the time of an accident, you need evidence. You don’t have to gather this evidence on your own time, though. Instead, you can work with our team to both recreate your accident and assess the scene at which it took place.

We can gather all kinds of evidence to submit with your complaint. The evidence that can most effectively back your assertion of liability and loss includes:

• Video footage or photos of the accident
• Evidence of phone usage to indicate an employed driver’s status at the time of the accident
• A police officer’s report regarding the accident
• Medical reports from an ambulance or hospital
• Physical evidence from the scene

Our team can connect you with the specialists you need to consult if you need help bringing together additional information regarding your case.

Estimating the Value of Your Rideshare Accident Losses

When a West Valley City, UT, Uber and Lyft rideshare accident attorney goes to work on your case, we strive to help you win compensation to cover your accident’s losses. Ideally, your case can provide you with the teams to address the economic and non-economic damages that resulted from a rideshare driver’s negligence.

If you want to benefit from this compensation, however, you need to ask for it. We can help you calculate an estimate of your losses that you can then submit alongside your initial complaint. This estimate can include:

• Property damage endured in the car accident
• Your and your loved ones’ medical expenses
• Essential upcoming care
• Loss of wages or opportunities to work while recovering
• Pain and suffering
• Emotional distress and counseling
• Wrongful death and funeral expenses, if applicable

Your non-economic damages may not have a dollar value, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have worth. We can account for these losses by applying an applicable multiplier to your case. This multiplier can increase the compensation to which you may be entitled, provided that a court approves your complaint.

Our Attorneys Champion Your Case

Pursuing a civil case against another party often feels like an impossible endeavor. When you don’t know whether or not the law is on your side, filing a case while dealing with your injuries can seem like an unnecessary stressor. That’s why it’s our job to alleviate the stress you feel while both recovering and taking legal action.

When you first bring your rideshare accident to our team, we can break down the circumstances of your accident. We can discuss your position with the at-fault driver and determine if they bear fault for your accident or if the company does. We can then field a rideshare company’s attempt to undermine your right to compensation while gathering evidence of negligence and liability.

More than that, we can prepare you for the case you’re pursuing. We can discuss how you want to address your losses and what to expect from negotiations or a trial. If you have questions about the process of filing a complaint or pursuing your cause, our team can elaborate to the best of our ability.

Take Your Rideshare Accident to Civil Court

Neither Uber nor Lyft have the right to try and deny you the compensation you deserve if one of their drivers causes your accident. You can take action against these parties with the help of an Uber and Lyft rideshare accident attorney in West Valley City, UT. 

1Law can connect you with the team that can advocate for your right to comprehensive compensation. You can request more information about our services by contacting us over the phone or through our website. We’re available to discuss your rideshare losses 24/7.