Huntington Beach
Uber Accident Lawyer

An accident involving an Uber driver or Lyft driver is vastly different from a regular car accident in Orange County. Because rideshare passengers, multiple drivers, and other third parties can be involved in the crash, recovering compensation will be more difficult and the process will take much longer. Therefore, filing a personal injury claim against the appropriate party will prove to be challenging for claimants. The main areas of focus will vary depending on the party who was injured. They include the following. 

• Liability: California is an “at-fault” state, which means that all negligent parties who are found guilty of causing the accident will be held accountable. For example, if a negligent Lyft/Uber driver broke a traffic law and also had previous moving violations, both the driver and rideshare company could be found liable.
• Uber and Lyft Insurance Policies: Depending on the circumstances, rideshare passengers are typically protected by a $1 million commercial liability insurance policy that both Uber and Lyft are required by California law to have. Other injured victims, like other motorists, may not be eligible for this commercial coverage.
• Uninsured/Underinsured Coverage: Uber and Lyft do require that all drivers possess coverage from an auto insurance company. However, because rideshare drivers are on the road for longer periods of time and because they are transporting other people regularly, coverage typically does not cover all damages.
• Statute of Limitations: In the state of California, people are given two years to file a personal injury claim against the accused at-fault party. The policy is the same in a Lyft or Uber accident. However, if the crash involves a government vehicle, like a city bus or United States Postal Service (USPS) truck, the statute is only six months.

Because so many of these regulations are circumstantial, injured victims will benefit from the expertise of a qualified Huntington Beach car accident lawyer. In addition, legal representation protects victims from being deceived by insurance companies who may misinform victims of how much compensation they are actually entitled to. Our law offices offer free case evaluations to prospective clients and provide case value estimations.

Liability coverage from a Lyft accident or Uber accident in Huntington Beach works differently than other local motor vehicle accidents. The ridesharing companies are required to have a minimum of $1 million in liability coverage. However, claimants can only benefit from this car accident coverage if the ridesharing app is on. If the app is off, Uber or Lyft is not responsible for damages. Therefore, even if a passenger has not been picked up, but the rideshare driver is en route and crashes into another car, Uber/Lyft would have to provide coverage. 

In many personal injury cases, the rideshare company will be responsible for any remaining costs after the driver’s personal insurance policy has been exhausted. Typically, coverage can be broken down into $25,000 in property damage, $50,000 in bodily injury per person, and $100,000 in bodily injury per auto accident with the Uber or Lyft vehicle. Therefore, ridesharing passengers, as well as other motorists who were harmed by the Uber/Lyft driver can qualify for the policy; this includes pedestrian accidents and motorcycle accidents.

Injured personal injury victims can seek damages for economic damages (out-of-pocket losses), as well as non-economic damages (intangible losses). Examples of such damages include the following.

• Current medical bills – doctor exams, ambulance bills, surgeries
• Future medical expenses – physical therapy, pain management
• Property damage – vehicles or personal property that was destroyed or repaired
• Lost wages – time missed from work due to injury
• Loss of earning potential – injuries and disabilities that prevent the ability to work
• Pain and suffering – physical and psychological damage
• Loss of enjoyment of life – disfigurement, mental trauma, or other torment affect life outlook
• Wrongful death – financial recovery for the loss of a loved one

With near-perfect weather all year long, the beach cities of Southern California garner a high velocity of tourist attraction annually. Tourism combined with Huntington Beach’s growing population (approximately 200,000 residents) has naturally increased the number of cars including rideshare vehicles on busy roads, like Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Beach Blvd. As a result, there has been an influx in car accidents. 

Uber/Lyft Accident Statistics in Huntington Beach, California

Similar to other automobile-related accidents, Lyft and Uber accidents are often a result of driver negligence. Lack of attention behind the wheel has accounted for the following motor vehicle accident statistics. 

• Fatal accidents: 18
• Fatal accidents involving drunk drivers: 6
• Number of fatalities: 19
• Pedestrians involved in fatal accidents: 8

Additionally, it has been found that with the rise in rideshare services, that has been a 3% increase in traffic-related deaths in the US. This is based on the correlation between accidents and traffic congestion. Referred to as “deadheading,” Uber drivers and Lyft drivers slow down traffic by spending 40% – 60% of their time looking for passengers at the intended pick-up point. Uber has put out safety reports refuting the claims that ridesharing services contribute to car accidents. However, much of the reported information has been questioned by data scientists. 

Dangerous Roads

Ridesharing accidents can involve other vehicles, like commercial trucks, motorcycles, or those traveling by means of non-motor transportation, like bicyclists and pedestrians. It has been found that the following highways and intersections are some of the most accident-ridden.

• Ellis St. and Newland Ave.
• Magnolia St. and Yorktown Ave.
• Adams Ave. and Newland Ave.
• Garfield St. and Magnolia Ave.
• Bushard St. and Hamilton St.