Being involved in a standard car accident in Texas can be confusing enough. A collision involving a rideshare car, such as an Uber or Lyft vehicle, can be even more complicated as an injured victim. You may not know how to protect your rights as a driver or rideshare user. Take the following steps if you are involved in an accident with a rideshare car in Dallas to achieve the resolution that you deserve.
Check for Injuries
Check yourself and anyone else involved in the accident, including the rideshare driver, for injuries. If anyone appears injured, bleeding or unconscious, call the police immediately. Once it is safe to do so, exit the rideshare vehicle and check those in the other car for injuries. It is a driver's responsibility to call the police and render aid to those injured after a car crash in Texas. However, even if you are a rideshare passenger, helping others who are injured could save a life.
Call the Police
It is also a driver’s legal responsibility to report the rideshare accident to the police as soon as possible if it causes injuries, deaths or at least $1,000 in property damage. If the Uber or Lyft driver has not called the police, take it upon yourself to do so. Give your location to the police and explain what happened. Then, wait at the scene of the collision for the police to arrive.
Tell Your Story
When the responding officer appears at the scene of the car accident, be sure to give him or her your side of the story. Describe what you saw and what you believe happened without speculating about fault. If you were a passenger in the rideshare vehicle, your own fault for the crash will not be in question. If you were the driver of another car outside of the Uber or Lyft, however, it is important not to admit fault. Instead, let an investigation determine the cause of the wreck.
Collect Information
Gather as much information as you can about the accident before you leave the scene. This includes the date, time, exact location, number of vehicles involved, a description of the vehicles, and the rideshare driver’s name and insurance information. Get names and phone numbers for any eyewitnesses, as well.
Take Photographs
Your goal at the beginning of a rideshare car accident case is to gather any evidence that could prove the fault of the rideshare driver. For example, if the rideshare driver was eating behind the wheel, take pictures of the food wrapper in the front seat. Taking pictures at the scene can provide important evidence. Photographs of both vehicles and the crash scene as a whole can help accident reconstruction experts determine who caused the wreck.
Seek Medical Care
Even if you don't think you were injured in the crash, go to a hospital in Dallas for a checkup. Your adrenaline could be masking the signs of a serious injury. Immediate medical care for an injury is often required by an insurance company before it will offer benefits for a car accident injury.
Get Help With the Insurance Process
When you are ready to seek financial compensation for your rideshare car accident, contact an attorney before you begin. Both Uber and Lyft offer up to $1 million in insurance coverage for those injured in car accidents involving their drivers. Obtaining your fair share of this coverage, however, can be difficult without assistance from a lawyer.
A Dallas rideshare accident lawyer can help you negotiate with Uber or Lyft's insurance company for full compensation for your medical bills and other losses. If the rideshare company refuses to treat your claim fairly, your lawyer can take the case to trial, instead. Learn more about what to do after an accident with a rideshare vehicle by contacting an attorney today.