Salt Lake City Uber Accident Lawyer

Uber: the ninety-five-billion-dollar company we all trust to take us home because we know we can’t drink and drive. What happens when that trust goes up in smoke?

Uber boasts that annually, 99.9% of trips complete without safety incidents. Impressive safety numbers, but that 0.01% still exists, and the accidents that do occur sometimes have fatal results.

In 2020, 42 unlucky passengers lost their lives in Uber-related motor crashes in the US. So while the chance of an accident is low, it’s not something you want to turn a blind eye to.

When injured in an Uber accident, turn to Valley Law Accident and Injury Lawyers for help. Our experienced attorneys specialize in injury and accident cases, including Uber-related accidents.

Whether you were injured as a passenger, as a pedestrian, or as a driver in another car, we can represent your interests and seek out the recompense you deserve.

Call us today at 801-810-9999, or reach out to us online via our contact form. We will schedule a zero-obligation case evaluation for you so you can get started with your journey toward justice and peace of mind. 

Why Would You Need a Salt Lake City Uber Accident Attorney?

Good question. Do you really need an attorney after an accident when Uber has protection policies in place anyway?

Can’t you just take it up with them?

In theory, you could. But anyone who has had to ask a large corporation for money knows that as easy as it is to ask, actually getting compensated for your injuries.

While, yes, Uber does have protection policies, it doesn’t actually hand out the money itself. Rather, Uber covers riders and drivers with money from insurance partners. 

When an insurance company’s money is on the line, its representatives will attempt to mitigate their losses and, in doing so, cut a large portion of what you stand to gain. As a result, you can expect Uber to be extremely stringent with any insurance claim made against them.

That’s a huge issue when you’re looking for enough money for hospital bills and recovery.

Having a lawyer means having an agent who works against those trying to actively diminish your claim. And even if the insurance adjuster isn’t trying to water down what you can get, a lawyer can still argue for any coverage they might have missed.

Let’s count a few things an Uber accident lawyer can do for you.

Help You Understand Your Policy

The legal system can be a funny thing sometimes.

On the one hand, everyone is expected to understand and follow it, but on the other, it seems to be intentionally complex. Of course, that complexity is a side effect of the law having to be as comprehensive as possible.

Paradoxically, even if the law expects everyone to understand it, in the real world, people don’t expect the average person to. But that’s why we have lawyers.

It takes about five years to specialize in specific parts of the legal system. That is three years in law school and two in practice to refine skills in a chosen niche.

This means the moment you choose to work with an Uber accident lawyer, you gain access to at least half a decade of information that can answer any questions and concerns you have regarding what you are entitled to.

Lead attorney Brigham Richards brings ten years practical experience in Salt Lake City personal injury cases to Valley Law. That is ten years dedicated to helping accident victims receive fair compensation from insurance companies and liable parties.

Working with one of our attorneys means you have no unanswered questions and no surprise roadblocks down the line.

Assist You Through the Claims Process

While you can file an insurance claim on your own, doing so can be physically and mentally draining, requiring multiple trips and phone calls to different offices. Without legal help, the process can be a total slog, taking months if you have to squeeze in your regular day-to-day.

Working with an Uber accident attorney can help smoothen things out so you don’t end up so pressed for time and resources.

• Police Reports: A skilled Uber accident lawyer can help you with your claim as early as when you file the police report. If you have an attorney present, they can make sure you don’t miss any details before you submit it to the police, which might seem like a small thing, but can greatly affect your case in the long term.
• Evidence-gathering: Your attorney can help you gather evidence, including photos, video recordings, medical records, and other documents that can support your claim. Highly experienced lawyers have this mastered down to the point they have a mental checklist of everything they would like to review to build your case.
• Filing the Claim: Depending on the circumstances, your lawyer might file the claim with Uber’s insurance provider or with your own. Your lawyer will handle the paperwork, the emails, and the phone calls, if necessary.
• Cooperating With the Investigation: The insurance company will send a representative to investigate your case. This is sometimes an intimidating experience, especially when the adjuster starts to cross-examine their findings with those of your lawyer, but a competent accident attorney does not get fazed by this.
• Settlements, Disputes, and Lawsuits: Facing off against the opposing party’s representatives might be daunting for some, but this is where lawyers feel at home. We’ll talk more about how your lawyer accomplishes this in the next section.

Negotiate on Your Behalf

Uber is a large company, and negotiating with any large company can be intimidating. But large companies still have to follow the law, and if they have a legal obligation to cover certain damages, they have to pay it out.

Your attorney will have this in mind when the time comes to sit down and come up with a number for your claim.

Because your lawyer understands your rights (and, if they’re any good, has explained them to you by this point), you should be able to identify a fair offer when Uber’s representative makes one. You will also be able to more comfortably turn down lowballed offers.

And if no handshakes are made at the negotiating table, your lawyer can take the next step and file a lawsuit against Uber in order to get you what they owe.

Take Your Case to Court

Most lawsuits don’t get to court. Most lawyers know when they have a strong case long before they need to enter a courtroom.

For this reason, if your claims are valid, the threat of a lawsuit might be enough for Uber’s legal representation to be more amicable to a settlement instead, but this time with a fairer offer on the table.

Of course, if the case does end up in a courtroom, you will have to be prepared for a long and drawn-out battle with Uber. But while that might sound like you’re at a disadvantage, we say again – Uber has to follow the law just like everyone else.

You wouldn’t be the first to take the fight to Uber. The company has had its fair share of legal hot water, including a settlement with the family of an accident involving one of their drivers.

If your lawyer believes your case can stand on the available evidence, there is no reason why you can’t stand against a multibillion-dollar company and win.

How Does Uber Protect Its Passengers?

Uber actually has solid protection policies for their drivers and passengers alike. The company maintains commercial auto insurance with its partners on behalf of drivers, including $1,000,000 in liability insurance.

This is fairly generous coverage, and in the event of an accident, it’s a high enough amount to cover most damages an injured passenger might need compensation for. That is, of course, if a claimant can justify the amount they are trying to claim from Uber.

As we’ve previously said, Uber has a reputation for being stringent with any money they have to hand out. To be fair, Uber has some justification for this, given throughout the company’s fourteen-year history, people have repeatedly tried to abuse their insurance policy.

There is also another hiccup when it comes to filing a claim with Uber’s insurance partners. Personal Injury Protection Laws in Utah mean that if you are a driver or have PIP, even when you were a passenger, you have to seek compensation from your own provider first.

This is a problem for drivers because it risks you paying a deductible or increasing your insurance rates. It also means having to go through the claims process twice if PIP is insufficient to cover the amount you need.

Still, knowing that Uber has a million dollars worth of insurance money backing each driver in the event of an accident means that as long as you have a clear-cut case, Uber has more than enough resources to cover your damages.

All you need is a professional accident attorney working for you, and you’ll have a secure path to recovery.

Maximize Your Claim With Help From an Expert Salt Lake City Uber Accident Law Firm

When you need to recover from an Uber accident, don’t settle for less than the maximum damages you can claim. Hire Valley Law Accident and Injury Lawyers today, and we’ll see you are fairly compensated for any damages sustained from an Uber accident.

Our personal approach to cases at Valley Law allows clients to rest easy while we go through claims and legal processes on their behalf. We put you first when you choose Valley Law. 

Contact us today for a free consultation. Dial 801-810-9999 or reach out to us via our online form.