Riding in the car as a passenger of a stranger can be a frightening experience. Even if the driver has experience giving thousands of rides, you need to know that person or how he drives. You may feel out of control. If you are in an accident on a rideshare app, whether as a driver or passenger, contact a Maryland Uber accident lawyer to discuss your options.
Our Maryland Uber accident lawyers, serving Baltimore, Annapolis, and the surrounding areas, have extensive experience in local traffic laws and Uber’s policies. When discussing Uber accidents in Maryland, there are two perspectives to consider. The first is the perspective of the Uber driver. The second is the passenger’s perspective in the Uber at the time of the accident. Our Maryland Uber accident lawyers have practiced personal injury law in Maryland for over 70 years. We have also handled Uber accident cases for roughly the last 14 years since Uber’s inception in 2009.
Apart from Uber accident representation, our team also excels in rideshare injury claims across Maryland, ensuring comprehensive legal support for all rideshare incidents. But our expertise is not limited to general cases; we’re also recognized as leading serious injury lawyers for Uber accidents in Maryland, equipped to handle complex claims involving severe injuries.
A Maryland Uber accident lawyer will help you get the compensation you deserve following an accident. There is a plethora of unique complexities that may arise in your case. You may be unable to work when injured in an Uber accident. This often means an inability to pay mounting bills, medical and otherwise. Maryland Uber accident lawyers have expertise in Maryland traffic laws and Uber policies. For the most part, the civil tort law surrounding most motor vehicles in Maryland also applies to Uber vehicles.
When hiring a rideshare lawyer in Maryland, you get localized knowledge. Our lawyers were born and raised in Maryland. We have an in-depth understanding of the state, the state’s laws, and how to maximize your compensation. We also stay up-to-date on any changes or nuances in the law related to traffic or rideshare regulations.
When you handle an Uber accident case independently, you enter a sphere where insurance companies operate daily. They are in business to make money. That means making as few and as insubstantial of payments as possible. Moreover, in an Uber accident case, you are dealing with several insurance companies, not just your own, and not just that of the tortfeasor. That makes these cases more complex than the typical motor vehicle accident case.
Determining liability may appear more straightforward as an Uber passenger. The reason for this is we know with a high probability that you are not contributorily negligent in the accident. This is a massive win because Maryland is a contributory negligence jurisdiction. You are barred from recovery if a jury finds you even 1% negligent. However, the challenge arises when determining who is liable for your damages. Because you were not driving, you may not have been paying attention to the road at the time of impact. Let’s say the police report blames one driver, but your driver blames another. What are you to do? This is when one of our Maryland personal injury lawyers can assist.
Anything that amounts to carelessness or negligence is sufficient for our Maryland Uber accident lawyers to proceed and pursue justice. It may involve a truck, motorcycle, or pedestrian, and it may result in a wrongful death. But the most common causes of Uber accidents in Maryland are listed below.
As everyone knows, if you are texting, you cannot focus on the road and the actions of other drivers. This is the most widespread form of distracted driving. To no one’s surprise, this is a cause of accidents that we frequently encounter in the Maryland Uber cases. Texting and driving poses a risk to pedestrians, Uber passengers, and anyone near the distracted driver. There are a few different reasons for this. First, your mind is elsewhere. It is nearly impossible to anticipate lousy driving by other careless drivers when you are focused on a conversation on your phone. If your mind is distracted, you cannot gauge when the light turns yellow or red.
Additionally, texting and driving detract from your vision of the road. Beyond where your mind is, the perilous part of texting and driving is that you cannot even see, let alone anticipate, hazards on the road.
While drunk, your ability to react is lessened. A great benefit to Uber is it makes avoiding drunk driving far more convenient. While it has been known to be morally wrong and dangerous for several decades, cell phones did not always exist to call a cab company. Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies did not exist before the advent of the smartphone. The current technology in 2024 makes avoiding drunk driving more straightforward than ever. Unfortunately, that ease of access is not always enough. Whether it is seeking to avoid the surging cost of an Uber or not wanting to leave their car somewhere overnight, drunk drivers are quick to excuse not calling a ride.
Accordingly, drunk driving still plagues residents in Maryland. Whether you are the victim of your driver being drunk or of another driver who hits you being drunk, call our office today for a free case consultation.
This can take the form of texting and driving, but it can also take many other forms. The distracted driver may be in a heated conversation with a passenger in their car or changing the song on the radio. Whatever form it takes, distracted driving leads to more accidents than almost any other cause of Uber accidents in Maryland.
Whether on MD 495, I-95, I-270, or any other highways in Maryland, the opportunity for speeding is everywhere. The speeding driver may be late for an important meeting or recklessly racing a friend. It takes a more disciplined driver to resist speeding, even on the highway. Speeding leads to not just more accidents but deadlier accidents. As Maryland Uber accident lawyers, speeding is a factor in nearly every car accident case we encounter. If your Uber driver is speeding or driving recklessly, asking him to go more carefully is ok. If another driver is speeding and collides with your Uber, speak with a Maryland Uber accident lawyer to discuss the next steps.
This is particularly common with trucking accidents. Of course, if a semi-truck collides with your Uber, the result can be catastrophic. While there are regulations for how many hours consecutively a truck driver may operate, this does not always lead to a well-rested driver. Beyond truck drivers facing exhaustion, all drivers do at some point. It may be a young parent who could not sleep the night before or a person working long hours in the office. Whatever the reason, exhaustion can have similar effects to alcohol on a driver. You may observe delayed reaction times and poor decision-making. These attributes lead to a higher probability of an accident on the road. If your Uber driver or the car you collide with’s driver appears exhausted and you are not injured, speak with a Maryland Uber accident lawyer.
The behavior of Uber accidents follows the behavior of any other motor vehicle accident in Maryland. Uber drivers are typically on the road more often than other drivers. This likely leads to a certain comfort level that has advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, there is likely to be more skill in controlling their car. There is also likely a better ability to anticipate the actions of other drivers. On the other hand, being overly comfortable can lead to impatience. This may mean more speeding, exhaustion, and overly trusting that other drivers will drive prudently.
As an Uber driver, there are two ways to have a viable claim. The first, less orthodox claim, is against your passenger. If you are in an accident where you would otherwise be at fault but for the unruly actions of a backseat passenger, you may have a viable defense against the third-party driver. However, as a personal injury law firm, we would handle a civil action against your passenger for battery. While a civil assault is possible, you are more likely to be successful on a battery claim.
Why is this? To establish a prima facie case for civil assault, we must prove an act by the defendant, your passenger creates a reasonable apprehension in you of immediate harmful or offensive contact with your person. This is unlikely due to the simple fact that you are focusing on the road. So, you are less likely to have reasonable apprehension or knowledge that your passenger will contact you. On the other hand, a battery does not require reasonable apprehension of immediate harmful or offensive contact. Rather, there must be a harmful or offensive contact to your person. We must also prove intent on the part of the passenger as well as causation.
After hiring a Maryland Uber accident lawyer, the second option for an Uber driver is to claim a negligent driver. This operates much like a standard negligence case, with one significant distinction. In many cases in Maryland, the adverse driver does not have sufficient coverage for a plaintiff’s injuries. Sometimes, they have no insurance coverage at all. But when there is insufficient coverage, Uber drivers may use coverage provided by Uber. This may involve an uninsured motorist coverage or an underinsured motorist coverage. Each is applicable under different circumstances, so you cannot use both at the same time. If you drive for Uber and have questions, contact a Maryland Uber accident lawyer for more details.
As an Uber passenger, you are at an advantage if you are in an accident while on a ride. There is very little chance you are at fault for the accident. So then, you may be able to claim your Uber driver or a third-party driver, depending on who caused your accident. If you are in a car accident and your driver is at fault, believe it or not, this may be a positive thing for your ultimate recovery. Many drivers in Maryland either have no auto insurance coverage or insufficient amounts to cover their injuries. However, Uber insurance policies contain more coverage than the average policy. So, if you are in an Uber accident and believe you have a viable claim for negligence against your driver, your Maryland Uber accident lawyer should be able to win you total and fair compensation.
One of the most significant issues plaguing personal injury cases is the lack of insurance coverage. If a defendant driver hits you and you have no insurance coverage and zero personal assets, you are left with only your insurance coverage. Depending on your policy, this may be sufficient to cover your injuries. However, when suing an Uber driver, you will have a much higher likelihood of recovering the compensation you deserve.
Facing an Uber accident in Maryland can be overwhelming. Whether you’re a passenger caught in a distressing situation or an Uber driver involved in an incident, our Maryland Uber accident lawyers are here to navigate the complexities of rideshare law, ensuring you understand your rights and options.
If you are in a rideshare accident in Maryland, do not hesitate to speak with a Maryland Uber accident lawyer to discuss the next steps. We always have our consultations free. We are excited to talk to you.