Uber Accident Attorney Washington DC

When you order an Uber and get into the back seat of a stranger’s vehicle, you are putting your trust in the vetting processes put into place by Uber Technologies, Inc. for both hiring and retaining drivers. In most cases, your Uber ride will get you to your destination without incident, but in the event that you are involved in an accident — whether caused by your Uber driver or another driver — you deserve to be compensated for your injuries and any associated damages. Fortunately, Uber provides insurance coverage for passengers, but this process can be complicated, and regardless of policy limits, insurance companies are focused almost solely on settling cases for as little as possible. Working with an attorney is one of the best ways to progress towards the compensation you deserve.

Contact Balkin & Mausner To Connect With an Uber Accident Attorney Today

Working with a personal injury attorney can help Uber accident victims fight for the money they deserve without losing focus on their recovery, but finding a lawyer can be a difficult first step. By requesting a free consultation with our firm, you can stay focused on getting medical care, rest, and maximizing your recovery, knowing that an Uber accident attorney is there to help you. 

During your free consultation, you will be able to discuss your situation with an experienced and knowledgeable legal professional. Knowing that there are people out there familiar with this process, and with a history of handling similar cases, can give you the peace of mind you need. That means you can stay focused on recovering from your injuries without worrying about what the future holds for your finances. You do not deserve to take on the burden of someone else’s dangerous driving, and your lawyer will fight to ensure that each impact that you have suffered is both accounted for and compensated fairly.

Who Pays After an Uber Accident?

As with any car accident, the first step to a legal claim is determining who is at fault for the accident, and therefore who is liable for the damages each victim has suffered. If your Uber driver caused the accident, then you will be able to file a claim through Uber’s insurance that is extended to passengers. If, however, another driver caused the accident, then it is likely that you will file a claim with their policy to recover compensation. 

Washington DC is one of the few legal jurisdictions in the United States that still uses an antiquated law known as contributory negligence, which bars a victim from seeking compensation after an accident if their negligence contributed to their injuries in even the smallest capacity. Fortunately, it is unlikely that you will need to worry about this law as a passenger in the vehicle. Regardless, your attorney will need to establish fault before moving forward with your claim in order to ensure that they seek compensation from the correct party. 

Calculating Damages After an Uber Accident

The central question of any insurance claim is that of damages: how much has a victim suffered, in what ways, and how does this translate to a fair dollar value for compensation? Throughout your claim, an important thing to keep in mind is that an insurance company does not typically have your best interests in mind. Insurance adjusters are usually focused on settling claims for as little as possible to protect the insurance company’s bottom line. This goal is often at odds with the victim’s hope of getting the money they deserve.

Your attorney will go through the many details of your situation, both major and less obvious, in order to process all of the repercussions you have suffered before calculating the total dollar value to which they amount. Personal injury damages are divided into two distinct sub-categories, each of which can be difficult for an inexperienced claimant to determine if they want to figure out the money they are owed. 

Economic Damages

Economic damages pertain to any impact that has a dollar value associated with it. These include things like your medical bills, any effects on your earnings such as lost wages, sick leave, or paid time off used to cover missed time, and other financial impacts of your accident. 

Many people overlook a range of damages or simply choose not to include some because they are minor, but the reality is that you do not deserve to pay for any of the costs from an accident that someone else caused. In addition, a comprehensive calculation of economic damages is the foundation for certain calculation methods for non-economic damages. That means each dollar omitted from your economic damages may result in anywhere between 1.5-5x the amount omitted from your non-economic damages. A detail-oriented attorney is an important asset while gathering these damages and negotiating a final settlement based on them.

Non-Economic Damages

Non-economic damages are the effects of an accident that do not have dollar values and are therefore more complicated to calculate for a settlement. Insurers know how complicated it can be for an inexperienced victim to calculate these damages, which is why they are quick to reject any calculations from a claimant who is not working with a lawyer. 

These impacts include the pain and suffering that a victim experiences as a result of their injuries and the emotional effects of such a painful and traumatic event. While accident-induced anxiety is a very real thing, assigning a dollar value to something so abstract can feel nearly impossible for the victim, but attorneys excel at this process. Once they have used a variety of methods designed to assign values to these subjective impacts, they will be ready to negotiate with the insurer in the hopes of reaching a settlement agreement while avoiding a costly and time-consuming court case.

Request a Free Consultation Today

The sooner you contact Balkin & Mausner, the sooner you will be able to take advantage of a free consultation with an experienced Uber accident lawyer. Contact us now to get started on this important process so you can stay focused on your recovery while an experienced attorney fights for your financial interests after an Uber accident in Washington DC.