While Ubers have brought important benefits to Okemos residents–door-to-door service, rides within minutes, a way to enjoy a night of cocktails without getting behind the wheel–they have brought unwelcome consequences too. They add to the number of cars on the road, increasing traffic and the opportunities for accidents.
In the best cases, car accidents are a massive hassle. In the worst, they cause terrible injuries or death and significant financial and emotional distress. When the accident involves an Uber, additional complications add to that pile of hardship. Having a skilled Okemos car accident lawyer fighting for you after an Uber accident is critical to your recovery and your financial security. To get the compensation you deserve, partner with an Okemos Uber accident lawyer from White Law PLLC as soon as possible.
Insurance Complexities and Uber Accident
The aftermath of any car accident involves navigating insurance policies. When the accident involves an Uber, additional insurance considerations factor in.
Michigan’s Insurance Requirements
Michigan is a no-fault state, which means drivers involved in an accident are covered by their own insurance policies. Michigan auto insurance laws recently underwent changes, allowing drivers to choose different levels of coverage. However, drivers are required to carry:
- Personal Injury Protection (PIP) to cover medical expenses
- Liability coverage: this includes bodily injury coverage if another party is hurt and you are at fault, and property damage coverage if another vehicle needs repair because of your negligence
- Property protection insurance if you damage someone’s else property or parked car with your vehicle
No-fault policies do not cover pain and suffering or damage to the driver’s car. In situations where medical costs, income loss, property damage, and emotional suffering require compensation, victims can file a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver.
Comparative Fault System
To settle these claims, Michigan follows a modified comparative fault system. If the victim is more than 50% responsible for the accident causing their injuries, they cannot collect damages. If they are less than 50% responsible but still hold some fault, their compensation is reduced in proportion to that percentage of fault.
Uber’s Insurance Structure
While Uber drivers have to carry their own insurance policies, like any other Michigan driver, Uber provides coverage as well. Should you file a personal injury claim to cover your serious losses after an accident with an Uber, the timing of the accident determines which policy applies.
If you have an accident with an Uber driver who is active on the app and is awaiting a fare request, Uber provides third-party liability coverage if the driver’s personal policy does not apply. Coverage includes:
- $50,000 for bodily injury per person
- $100,000 for bodily injury per accident
- $25,000 for property damage per accident
As you can imagine, neither party will volunteer to “step up” and pay your damages when there is a chance they can blame the other–all while you suffer. You need a skilled Uber accident lawyer in Okemos, MI to protect you from insurance companies looking to avoid responsibility.
When the app is on, and the Uber driver is traveling to pick up customers or traveling with passengers in the vehicle, Uber provides $1 million for third-party liability, uninsured motorist insurance for bodily injury, and “contingent” collision coverage.
Your Fight Is Our Fight
Proving Negligence in an Okemos Uber Accident
To collect a settlement following a car accident, you must prove that another party’s negligence caused the event. Proving negligence requires evidence, and gathering that evidence requires careful, comprehensive investigation. White Law PLLC has the experience, know-how, and resources to carry out this investigation and build a case with solid evidence. An Okemos Uber accident attorney from our team will:
- Determine the cause of the accident with help from accident reconstructionists and other experts
- Identify the at-fault party
- Gather evidence to prove the at-fault party’s negligence, including photos and video footage of the accident, eyewitness accounts, physical evidence from the accident scene, input from the vehicle, medical experts, and any other relevant source
Using this evidence, your attorney will prove the elements of negligence, showing the at-fault party:
- Owed you a legal duty of care. This duty is an obligation to uphold your safety. All drivers owe every other person sharing the road, whether as a vehicle operator or pedestrian, a duty of care
- Failed in their duty: The at-fault party somehow breached their legal obligation. If a driver speeds, drives under the influence or while distracted, or ignores traffic laws, they have breached their duty
- The breach, not some other factor, caused the accident
- The accident left you with measurable damages
Victims are often overwhelmed following an accident and simply can not think of every long-term consequence of their situation or how to put a dollar amount on their pain and suffering. Protect your interests by having an experienced Uber accident attorney in Okemos, MI take care of assessing your losses and making a just settlement demand.
We know how to get our clients the results they need in the toughest legal arenas.
Fair Compensation Secures Your Future and Brings Justice
There are a variety of parties who may be culpable for your accident. Depending on the results of your attorney’s investigation, the at-fault party may be the Uber driver, another driver, a government office who breached their responsibility of maintaining safe roads and working traffic signals, or the Uber company, if they did not complete a proper background check on a driver.
Whatever their identity, the negligent party needs to compensate you fairly. When an Uber accident leaves you seriously injured, you will face substantial:
- Medical costs for immediate care and future expenses
- Income loss
- Emotional suffering
- Physical pain
- Property damage, if you were in another vehicle or lost luggage or devices in the accident
- Losses to your overall quality of life
- Other accident-related expenses. You may need to pay others to fulfill responsibilities you can no longer manage, such as child care and household chores
Your Uber accident lawyer in Okemos will fight to get you the financial justice you deserve from whatever party owes you. If you are entitled to no-fault coverage, coverage from an Uber policy, and/or a settlement from any other negligent party’s insurance, we will work tirelessly to get you that compensation.
We understand that you may be going through a difficult situation and we are ready to help however we can.
Our First Priority: Fighting for You
After an accident, you cannot put your energy into healing if you are trying to figure out who is responsible for your injuries, understand Michigan law, and negotiate with insurance representatives who will take any tactic to avoid paying you a fair settlement. Keep your focus on healing and leave the legalities to White Law PLLC. Connect with us today to schedule a free consultation with an attentive, knowledgeable Okemos Uber accident lawyer. Fighting for clients is our priority, and we are ready to fight for you.
We’re Experienced. We Care.
We Exceed Client Expectations.
