Whether getting a safe ride to local Dalton watering holes like Crescent City Tavern or helping you get to the grocery store when you don’t have access to a car, rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have become a vital form of transit infrastructure. Unfortunately, the rise in their usage has also led to an increase in dangerous and deadly accidents across the country.
Making matters worse, the options for obtaining an insurance payout after a rideshare accident can be confusing. Depending on the situation, you may have access to the rideshare company’s commercial policy, or you may be forced to use the driver’s personal policy. Insurers may even try to deny you coverage for arbitrary reasons.
Know that both rideshare and insurance companies want to protect their bottom line — directly at your own expense. They will say and do anything they can to avoid paying you the full value of your injury claim after a rideshare accident in Dalton.
The CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm helps you fight back against big money interests when you are hurt. We represent rideshare crash victims in Dalton on their journey to recover the costs of their medical bills and other damages.
Find out how to pursue a claim for the most compensation possible, and what you can do to protect your legal rights, when you call (706) 890-0000 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation case review with a Dalton rideshare lawyer near you.
The best time to reach out to a rideshare accident lawyer in Dalton is right after you know you have been hurt. Always take the time to A) report your accident and B) seek a full medical evaluation as soon as possible after a crash.
If your medical exam shows signs of injury — or you still feel hurt after getting cleared by a doctor — then it can be in your own best legal and financial interests to hire an attorney to represent you.
Critically, injury attorneys work on a contingency basis. That phrase means that their payment is contingent on you obtaining some form of settlement or award for your accident damages.
If they are unable to get any money for you, you owe them nothing. When they do secure payment for your damages, you simply pay an agreed-upon percentage of the final amount.
Rideshare companies will want to avoid paying you for damages to the extent possible after your accident. They may not even call in the accident because rideshare company policies discourage their drivers from doing so.
When you do report your injury, they may offer you a meager payout that fails to account for the full extent of damages you have suffered. They may also try to deny your claim, often deferring you to use someone else’s insurance policy or your own as a favorite tactic.
Your attorney protects you from misinformation and pressure tactics wielded by rideshare companies and their insurers. They’ll analyze the circumstances of your wreck, help you determine who is liable, and look for all available sources of compensation.
Just as important, they will also work to estimate your damages in full, including projected future losses, in order to help you avoid signing for a settlement that leaves you paying out of pocket in the end.
In short, there is never a bad time to call an attorney, and they can step in at any point in the process to assist. If nothing else, strongly consider having an attorney review a potential settlement before you sign an agreement; otherwise, you will likely be unable to recover costs that weren’t accounted for once the settlement is received.
The insurance available after a rideshare accident depends on the circumstances of the crash, including:
In many situations, the rideshare company will provide coverage for an accident that has been caused by the driver using their app.
This coverage applies only when the driver is either:
In the past, these liability policies covered a minimum of $1 million in damages resulting from personal injury or destruction of personal property, but a Georgia law passed in 2023 allows rideshare companies to reduce this coverage to as little as $100,000 — a 90% reduction. Nevertheless, it is critical to seek the highest coverage amount possible, which is why it is so important to find out whether the rideshare driver’s app was active and whether they were on an officially requested trip.
After public outcry by rideshare drivers and concerned citizens, rideshare companies now provide their own commercial liability coverage any time a driver is logged into the app and looking for possible fares.
However, this coverage is going to be greatly reduced compared to the coverage available while a ride is requested or in progress.
When an injury occurs while the app is in use, Uber offers $50,000 per person and a maximum of $100,000 per accident for third-person liability coverage. Lyft currently offers the same coverage amounts in this situation, as well.
If a driver is currently not using the rideshare company’s app to look for fares, then they must use their own personal insurance policy to cover any damages they cause.
Georgia’s current insurance minimums are:
Many insurance companies will try to deny coverage to rideshare drivers, even when they were not technically using the vehicle for money-earning purposes at the time of the crash.
Refer to an attorney for assistance with handling an insurance claim and to identify all potential sources of compensation, just in case insurers try to deny coverage for such reasons.
Commercial liability coverage applies to all accident injuries, regardless of the situation, so long as the rideshare driver was determined to be the primary cause of the accident.
Therefore, rideshare company insurance can apply in any of the following situations:
In situations where the rideshare driver was at fault, the rideshare company’s insurance will likely deny coverage for the wreck. Instead, the injured party must seek compensation from the at-fault party’s liability policy (i.e., the insurance coverage of the driver who caused the wreck).
A rideshare insurance payout should cover all of the following damages, as is applicable to your situation:
Your attorney will help you review all expenses you have incurred as a result of your accident to determine what will be eligible to claim. Save all receipts and documentation in order to ensure that applicable coverage is not overlooked.
Ridesharing services can be empowering, in many ways, for both drivers and passengers using the platform. However, these companies can also try to take power away from injury victims when they attempt to avoid paying for the costs of an injury their driver inflicted.
Any time you have been hurt and are worried about your ability to pay for your medical costs and other losses, reach out to the attorney team that will fight for your legal rights. Ali Awad, a native of Dalton, GA, aims to assist the community in any way he can, helping them recover from their accidents and seek to return to as normal life as possible.
When you are ready to learn more about your legal rights and what damages you could be eligible to receive, call (706) 890-0000 or contact us online to schedule a free, no-obligation case review with our Dalton, GA, law offices.
Tell Us More About Your Injury Below So That We Can Get You The Most Money
After a personal injury, you're bound to have legal questions. The CEO Lawyer Ali Awad can provide you with answers to these questions, just as he's given answers to his millions of curious social media followers. Take a look at some of the most common personal injury law questions for general information, and then reach out to one of our seasoned attorneys for specific guidance on your case!
To quickly resolve matters following an accident, insurance companies will offer you less than you deserve in compensation for your injuries. Many victims feel pressured to accept these offers as the bills begin to pile up, but that is rarely a good idea. The insurance company is looking to protect its bottom line; and will offer injured victims less than they deserve. An experienced personal injury attorney understands how to negotiate with the insurance company and can look out for your best interests by getting you the compensation you deserve after an injury. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, it is important to avoid negotiating or providing recorded statements to the insurance company without first seeking help from a qualified personal injury attorney.
The best way to determine if you have a personal injury case is to speak with a knowledgeable attorney. Our legal professionals have the expertise to evaluate your case and determine a strong legal strategy so that you can obtain the greatest amount of compensation possible under the law. We will enlist investigators, assistants, and other specialists to collect accident reports, speak with witnesses to your accident, and put together a plan. While you focus on your physical recovery, we will remain committed to fighting for the compensation that you deserve.
Accident victims have a limited time to file a personal injury lawsuit. This time period is referred to as the statute of limitations, and in Atlanta, it lasts only two years. This means that if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, you have only two years to pursue a personal injury suit. If you wait too long to reach out to an experienced attorney, you might be forever barred from seeking the compensation you deserve.
During your initial consultation with CEO Lawyer team, we will go over the important details of your personal injury accident, which include the nature and extent of your injuries, how your injuries have impacted your ability to earn a paycheck, the cost of your medical treatment, and whether further medical treatment will be required. We will answer any questions you might have, as well, in regards to our experience, our track record of success, and what to expect from the legal process. Many personal injury victims wonder if they will be able to afford the legal fees required to pursue a lawsuit. CEO Lawyer injury and accident attorneys will not ask for any type of upfront fee unless we are successful in obtaining compensation for you. That means that if you have been harmed in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall accident, defective product accident, or any other type of personal injury accident, you can absolutely afford to contact our law office today for assistance. In fact, you cannot afford to wait. Reach out today. We understand that some accident victims might have already obtained the assistance of an attorney but may be dissatisfied with the services provided. We are standing by and prepared to help you change legal representation, regardless of where you are in the process.
If you or a loved one has been injured in any type of personal injury accident, you should not hesitate to speak with the experienced attorneys at CEO Lawyer personal injury law firm. Call, email, or fill out our online contact form today so that we can begin helping you pursue the compensation you deserve.