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Montecito Rideshare Accident Attorneys
Are You in Need of a Rideshare Accident Lawyer?
If you were injured in a rideshare accident, determining who caused the collision is only part of the process. You will also need to determine which insurance policies apply and how much compensation may be available for your injuries and other losses.
The experienced Montecito personal injury lawyers at NordstrandBlack PC can investigate the collision, identify liable parties, review insurance coverage, and pursue maximum compensation on your behalf.
You should consider contacting a rideshare accident attorney if:
- You suffered serious injuries in the crash.
- Your medical bills and other accident-related expenses are significant.
- You had to miss work or lost income because of your injuries.
- The rideshare driver’s insurance company disputes or undervalues your claim.
- It is unclear whether the rideshare driver, another motorist, or multiple parties were responsible.
- You were injured while riding as an Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare passenger.
- You are being pressured to accept a settlement before you understand the full extent of your injuries and losses.
Injured in a Rideshare Accident?
If you were injured in an Uber or Lyft accident, call (805) 962-2022 for a free consultation.
Why Choose Us Over Other Rideshare Accident Attorneys in Montecito?
Our approach is built around a straightforward principle: Experience Makes the Difference. Attorneys Renée Nordstrand-Black and Doug Black work to hold negligent parties accountable.
Serious injuries can affect your ability to work, care for your family, and participate in activities you previously enjoyed. At NordstrandBlack PC, we understand that calculating damages should include the future impact of an injury, not merely current medical bills.
Here’s why so many people have come to trust our firm:
- Renée Nordstrand-Black received the Deborah Talmage Attorney of the Year Award, recognizing her service to the legal profession and commitment to advocating for injured individuals.
- AV Preeminent® Rating by Martindale-Hubbell®, reflecting high peer ratings for professional ability and ethical standards.
- 10.0 Superb Avvo Rating, demonstrating strong professional recognition and a commitment to client representation.
- Premium Rating by Lawyer.com, recognizing the firm’s professional standing and experience handling personal injury matters.
- Experience handling catastrophic injury cases, including claims involving traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, and other life-altering injuries caused by negligence.
- Prepared to handle challenging personal injury claims, including cases involving disputed responsibility, multiple negligent parties, severe injuries, and insurance disputes.
- Responsive, personalized client service, with clear communication and regular updates throughout the claims process.
- Free consultations, giving injured individuals and their families an opportunity to discuss their circumstances and better understand their options without an upfront cost.
How a Rideshare Accident Attorney Can Help
A Montecito car accident attorney can investigate the collision and manage the insurance and legal issues while you tend to your recovery. Rideshare claims can become complicated because the driver's personal auto insurance, rideshare insurance, and another driver's insurance may become relevant.
An attorney can find out who caused the accident and determine what insurance coverage may apply. Important evidence may include:
- Police reports
- Photographs and videos
- Witness statements
- Uber or Lyft trip information
- Rideshare app records
- Surveillance or dashboard camera footage
- Medical records
- Cell phone records when relevant
Who Can Be Injured in a Rideshare Accident?
You do not have to be an Uber or Lyft passenger to pursue a claim involving a rideshare vehicle.
Rideshare Passengers
Rideshare passengers may suffer significant injuries. An Uber or Lyft passenger could be injured when the rideshare or another driver causes a collision.
Examples of driver negligence that causes accidents include:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Following too closely
- Running red lights or stop signs
- Unsafe lane changes
- Failing to yield
- Improper turns
- Driving while impaired
- Driving while dangerously fatigued
Pedestrians
Pedestrians can suffer catastrophic injuries when struck by a rideshare vehicle. A rideshare driver may hit a pedestrian while looking at the app, searching for a passenger, pulling toward a pickup location, backing up, or making a turn.
Bicyclists
Bicyclists can be injured when a rideshare driver fails to provide adequate space, makes an unsafe turn, enters a bicycle's path, or opens a vehicle door into an approaching cyclist.
Drivers who pass too closely, strike a bicyclist, or force them off the road cause serious bicycle accidents. Under California’s Three Feet for Safety Act, drivers passing a bicyclist must leave at least three feet of space between their vehicle and the bicycle.
Motorcycle Riders
Motorcycle riders may suffer severe injuries in crashes involving Uber and Lyft vehicles. A rideshare driver who is distracted by navigation instructions or a passenger request may fail to notice a motorcycle in an adjacent lane or intersection.
Drivers and Passengers in Other Vehicles
Drivers and passengers in other vehicles may also bring claims when an Uber or Lyft driver causes a collision. A rideshare driver’s negligence can leave other motorists and their passengers facing serious injuries, medical expenses, lost income, and other losses.
Get Help After an Uber or Lyft Crash
A rideshare accident can leave you dealing complicated insurance issues. Contact NordstrandBlack PC at (805) 962-2022 for a free consultation.
Who Is Liable for a Rideshare Accident?
Liability for a rideshare accident depends on who caused the collision. Identifying every potentially responsible party matters because serious injuries can result in losses that exceed the limits of a single insurance policy.
The Uber or Lyft Driver
Determining whether the Uber or Lyft driver acted negligently is an important part of identifying who may be responsible for an injured person’s losses. Evidence of a traffic violation can be important However, the complete circumstances surrounding the crash must also be evaluated.
Another Driver
California follows a pure comparative negligence system. This means more than one person may share liability for the same collision.
Another driver could cause the accident by violating traffic laws or making an unsafe maneuver. In these situations, an injured rideshare passenger may have a claim against the negligent motorist.
Other Liable Parties
Additional liable parties may include a vehicle owner, the employer of a negligent driver, a company responsible for vehicle maintenance, or another party whose conduct contributed to the collision.
Lyft and Uber Insurance Policies
Determining which insurance coverage applies after a rideshare accident often depends on the driver’s status at the time of the collision. California rideshare drivers are required to maintain personal automobile insurance that meets the state’s minimum coverage requirements. This generally includes at least $30,000 for injury or death to one person, $60,000 for injury or death to multiple people, and $15,000 for property damage.
Different coverage may become available after the driver logs into the rideshare app. In California, rideshare companies must provide at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per incident for death or personal injury, plus $30,000 for property damage, while a driver is logged in and waiting for a ride request. Coverage can also change after a ride request is accepted and while a passenger is being transported, when $1 million in primary commercial insurance coverage is required.
An attorney may seek records showing when the driver logged in, when a ride was requested and accepted, when the driver reached the pickup location, and when the trip began or ended.
Available Compensation After a Rideshare Accident
A personal injury claim may seek compensation for current medical expenses and reasonably anticipated future losses.
A rideshare accident personal injury claim or lawsuit may pursue damages for:
- Emergency medical treatment
- Hospitalization
- Surgery
- Rehabilitation
- Physical therapy
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Disability
- Disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Filing a Wrongful Death Claim in California
A wrongful death claim may allow certain surviving family members to seek compensation when a loved one dies because of another party’s negligence or wrongful conduct. Recoverable damages may include funeral and burial expenses, lost financial support, and the loss of the deceased person’s companionship, care, and guidance.
What Should You Do After an Uber or Lyft Accident?
The steps you take after an Uber or Lyft accident can help protect your health and preserve important information that may support a personal injury claim.
- Seek medical attention. Your first priority should be your safety and medical care. Call 911 when necessary and obtain appropriate medical attention.
- Document the accident scene. If your condition allows, take photographs of the vehicles, surrounding roadway, traffic controls, visible injuries, and other relevant conditions. Obtain contact information from witnesses and the drivers involved.
- Preserve information from the Uber or Lyft app. Save screenshots showing your driver, trip, route, pickup information, and receipt. These records may later help establish that the driver was engaged in rideshare activity.
- Report the accident through the appropriate rideshare platform. Be cautious when discussing your injuries with insurers because some injuries may develop or become more serious over time.
- Be careful about social media. Avoid posting details about the collision or your recovery. Insurers may examine publicly available information when evaluating a personal injury claim.
- Contact an attorney. Before accepting a settlement or signing documents that release your claims, have an attorney review your situation and explain your options.
What Clients Are Saying About Us
We appreciate you! - Veronica Lopez (5-Star Google Review)
NordstrandBlack PC represented my husband in a personal injury case. They were very thorough, diligent, and made the process very easy. Their communication, status updates on the case, and overall professionalism were excellent! We will recommend them to any of our family or friends in need of a personal injury lawyer. Thank you guys; we appreciate you!
I cannot recommend them highly enough-Steven Kepnes (5-Star Google Review)
Excellent, professional, kind, considerate, and concerned lawyers with exceptionally competent staff. This is a fine firm that does what is needed and best for clients. I cannot recommend them highly enough.
Case Results
$80,000.00 Settlement. Uber passenger opened door in path of bicyclist.
An Uber driver stopped along the side of the road, where a passenger exited the vehicle into the path of our client as he rode by on his bicycle. The passenger struck our client, causing a bicycle accident and resulting in injuries. After the insurance company made a low initial settlement offer, NordstrandBlack PC pursued additional compensation and ultimately secured an $80,000 settlement for our client.
Other Local Cities We Serve in California
Speak With an Experienced Montecito Rideshare Accident Lawyer
NordstrandBlack PC represents injured people in Montecito and throughout the Santa Barbara area. Our attorneys can investigate your Uber or Lyft accident, determine which parties may be responsible, identify available insurance coverage, and pursue compensation for your injuries and other losses.
Call NordstrandBlack PC (805) 962-2022 to schedule a free consultation and learn about your legal options after a rideshare accident.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rideshare Accidents
What does a rideshare accident lawyer do?
A rideshare accident lawyer investigates the crash, determines who may be responsible, identifies available insurance coverage, and documents the injured person’s losses. An attorney can also negotiate with insurance companies and pursue a lawsuit when appropriate.
Who can file a claim after a rideshare accident?
Rideshare passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycle riders, and drivers or passengers in other vehicles may potentially have claims after an accident. Whether you can recover compensation depends on factors such as who caused the collision and the injuries and losses you suffered.
Who can be liable for an Uber or Lyft accident?
The rideshare driver, another motorist, or another negligent party may be responsible for an accident. More than one party can sometimes share responsibility, making a thorough investigation important for identifying potential sources of compensation.
What insurance applies after an Uber or Lyft accident?
The applicable insurance can depend on what the rideshare driver was doing when the accident happened. Coverage may differ depending on whether the driver was offline, logged into the app and waiting for a request, traveling to pick up a passenger, or transporting a passenger.
What compensation can a rideshare accident lawyer pursue?
Depending on the circumstances, compensation may be available for medical expenses and other losses like loss of income, future treatment, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, pain and suffering, disability, disfigurement, and loss of enjoyment of life. The compensation available depends on the specific injuries, losses, liability, and insurance coverage involved.
What evidence can help prove a rideshare accident claim?
Useful evidence may include police reports, photographs, videos, witness statements, medical records, vehicle damage, rideshare app information, trip records, and insurance documents. Uber or Lyft records showing the driver’s app status can be particularly important when determining what insurance coverage was in effect.
Should I accept an insurance settlement after a rideshare accident?
You should understand the full extent of your injuries and losses before accepting a settlement or signing a release. A rideshare accident lawyer can evaluate an offer and determine whether it adequately accounts for your current and reasonably anticipated future losses.
Meet Our Rideshare Accident Attorneys
Renée J. Nordstrand-Black
Renée Nordstrand-Black is the founding partner of NordstrandBlack PC. For more than three decades, she has represented people who have suffered serious injuries because of negligence. Her practice includes motor vehicle and rideshare accidents, motorcycle crashes, pedestrian accidents, defective products, trucking accidents, and wrongful death claims. Renée’s commitment to injured people is informed in part by her own experience recovering from a serious skiing accident as a teenager.
Doug Black
Doug Black is a dedicated trial attorney and partner of NordstrandBlack PC who brings both legal knowledge and extensive real-world business experience to his work for injured clients. Before practicing law, Doug owned and operated a local masonry contracting business for more than 30 years. He uses his practical experience and attention to detail to evaluate liability, identify important evidence, and help clients understand their legal options after serious injuries and accidents.