Uber & Lyft Accident Attorney
Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer Helping Kansas Ridesharing Car Accident Victims Get Financial Compensation for Personal Injuries
Our Uber and Lyft accident lawyer helps injured car accident victims get financial compensation for personal injuries resulting from accidents involving ridesharing drivers across Kansas. These popular services are used all over Wichita and Kansas City as well as across most major cities in the United States. The CDC reported that ridesharing services have drastically increased to over 11 billion trips since 2010.
One fourth of all traffic accidents in Boston in 2021 were caused by Uber, Lyft and ridesharing companies causing more than 1,098 traffic accidents. The spokesman from the Boston Transportation Network wrote “it is the responsibility of (Uber and Lyft) and delivery companies to provide oversight of their drivers and incentive structures that discourage unsafe behavior. . .”
In 2021 Kansas had 57,598 traffic crashes resulting in 17,479 injuries and 424 fatalities according to KDOT. Unfortunately, Kansas does not maintain specific information on the number of accidents caused by ridesharing companies. In larger cities like Wichita, Topeka, Kansas City and Overland Park it can be assumed that a significant percentage of accidents are from increasing rideshare drivers.
Uber and Lyft drivers are involved in many different types of motor vehicle accidents, sometimes from their negligence and sometimes from another driver’s negligence where your Uber driver was not at fault. Regardless, we can help get financial compensation for your personal injuries.
After any car accident the injury victim is left with stress and pain from being injured in an accident. The stress is from trying to pay for medical bills, physical therapy, and surgery. Our Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer takes care of everything removing your stress so you can concentrate on getting better.
Our Uber personal injury attorneys have handled car accidents over 40 years, recovering hundreds of millions of dollars for vehicle accident victims from passenger vehicle accidents caused by negligent drivers. Our track record of wins is impressive and our results are excellent.
Truck Accident Lawyers Group (TALG) is associated with Bull Attorneys®. Our Uber and Lyft injury attorneys handle car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian vehicle accidents from negligent ridesharing drivers.
Our Uber and Lyft accident attorney helps injury victims get paid for all of your losses and damages like:
- Pain and suffering.
- Mental Anguish.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Wage loss and future wage loss where unable to work due to the accident.
- Payment for medical bills, future medical treatment, surgery, hospitalization, and all medical needs now and in the future.
- When a wrongful death occurs, we help the family members who lost a loved one.
Our Uber and Lyft ridesharing injury attorneys are in Wichita and Garden City and have personal injury lawyers licensed in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Utah, and Arizona. We will drive or fly to your home or hospital room to give you a free consultation. You can call us at 316-330-9200.
Does Uber and Lyft Ridesharing Increase Fatal Traffic Accidents?
Uber and Lyft studies alarmingly have found that Uber and Lyft have now increased fatal traffic accidents by 2 to 3 percent.
A ridesharing study authored by Alex Verhivker published in Science.org found that ridesharing from Uber and Lyft drivers increased the number of car occupants and pedestrians killed between 2011 to 2016 by 2 percent to 3 percent. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) studying 2955 cities in the U.S. also found that fatal accidents rose from ridesharing.
A 2018 Study likewise foundthat ridesharing is associated with a 2-3 percent increase in vehicle fatalities and fatal accidents. The reasons fatalities increased with ridesharing is that overall highway and roadway traffic increased creating congestion, delay and ultimately more injuries and deaths.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) published a study on Ridesharing and Motor Vehicle Crashes from April of 2021 which concluded that Uber and Lyft had facilitated over 11 billion trips between 2010 and 2021. Author CN Morrison concluded that ridesharing contributes to increased injuries and deaths from motor vehicle crashes for passengers and pedestrians.
Who is Liable for My Injuries in an Uber or Lyft Accident?
Uber and Lyft ridesharing accidents can be caused by a number of different negligent acts on the part of the drivers and the companies who hire the drivers. When you are injured while riding with a negligent Uber or Lyft driver causing an accident the driver is liable. When riding in an Uber or Lyft and another negligent driver hits the vehicle you are in, that other driver is liable.
Typically, after a ridesharing accident the injury victim will hire an Uber or Lyft accident lawyer and bring legal claims for injuries against the ridesharing negligent driver and the company they work for. These drivers and their employers can have negligence claims for hiring unsafe drivers.
The claims against the Uber or Lyft driver will be for ordinary negligence like not obeying a traffic law or traffic signal like a red light or stop sign.
Liability of Uber and Lyft can be established from any of the following negligent acts:
- Negligent hiring of an unsafe driver.
Ridesharing companies are required by law to check the driver’s license records of hired drivers including criminal history, drug, and alcohol history and perform background checks of their past accident history and traffic citation history. When they negligently perform their background checks they are liable for placing the unsafe driver on the road. - Negligent training of the Uber or Lyft driver.
Uber and Lyft claim to train their drivers but do not. They simply have online resources for the drivers to look at. Many never do. Major transportation companies use a three day classroom training program where they test their drivers over knowledge of safe driving skills. Neither Uber nor Lyft do this. - Negligent retention of the Uber or Lyft driver after one or more accidents.
Because finding drivers is a difficult task for the ridesharing companies, they may give negligent drivers more chances after have an accident causing property damage or bodily injuries. When they have sufficient knowledge, their driver is unsafe they are liable if they do not suspend, retrain, or terminate their driver. - Negligently requiring the Uber or Lyft driver to drive too many hours in a day.
Uber claims they do not allow drivers to drive more than 12 hours without six hours of rest. The problem with this is that many Uber or Lyft drivers may be near their limit when they pick up their last fare and a lengthy drive can cause fatigue where they become liable for not stopping the stopping the driver from picking up the last long fare. - Drunk and drugged driving.
While Uber says it does drug and alcohol tests before hiring the driver, the transportation industry standard of care is to do random drug and alcohol tests of all drivers. This allows true detection by intermittent testing. There are many Uber and Lyft cases where a driver is drunk or high and the riders are severely injured or die.
What is the Law in Kansas that Applies to Uber and Lyft Drivers?
The law in Kansas that applies to Uber and Lyft Drivers is the Kansas Transportation Network Company Services Act. K.S.A. 8-2702 describes that when a company has a digital network to prearrange drivers it is a Transportation Network Company (NTC).
Does Kansas Require Uber and Lyft to Prevent Drunk Drivers from Transporting Riders?
Kansas requires the TNC to have a zero tolerance policy on a driver using alcohol or drugs while providing a prearranged ride. If a rider reasonably suspects the Uber or Lyft driver is under the influence and files a complaint the TNC must immediately suspend the driver’s access to the digital network and investigate the complaint under K.S.A. 8-2711.
The TNC must maintain investigation records for two years after the complaint is received. The purpose of this is to help preserve evidence that the ridesharing companies do not allow the drunk driver to transport other riders who may be injured.
What Insurance Coverage do Uber and Lyft Drivers Carry?
There are two types of liability insurance coverage for Uber and Lyft drivers. First, the ridesharing driver must obtain their own vehicle insurance and make sure it allows them to have a business use coverage so that when they have an accident while transporting passengers, their insurance covers them. When the driver purchases rideshare insurance, it may vary by state depending on state mandatory minimum coverage.
K.S.A. 8-2708 requires that when the Uber or Lyft driver is logged onto the transportation network company’s transportation system and is available to give a ride but not yet assigned a rider they must carry $50,000 for death and bodily injury per person and $100,000 per accident and $25,000 for property damage. The coverage must include uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage.
When the Uber or Lyft driver has engaged in a prearranged ride the insurance requirements are higher and must provide at least $1,000,000 for death, bodily injury, and property damage.
Both Uber and Lyft make their insurance coverage excess to the driver. Unfortunately, this means when the driver’s personal insurance refuses to pay limits then the insurance carrier for Uber or Lyft will refuse to pay any money. When this happens an Uber or Lyft accident lawyer is absolutely necessary.
When is an Uber or Lyft Driver Not Qualified to Transport Riders?
K.S.A. 8-2720 disqualifies Uber and Lyft drivers if any of the following apply:
- Has been convicted or been given a diversion on a charge of driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol in any state within 7 years of driving for Uber or Lyft.
- Has been convicted of Identity theft.
- Has been convicted of any sex offense.
- Has had more than three moving violations in any state in the prior three years before driving for a TNC.
- Does not possess a valid driver’s license.
- Does not possess proof of automobile liability insurance for the vehicle used to transport riders.
- Is under the age of 19.
- Has been convicted of evading the police, reckless driving or driving on a suspended license.
Who Can Get Financial Compensation After an Accident with an Uber or Lyft driver?
Rideshare passenger.
Rideshare passengers injured by a negligent Uber or Lyft driver who can receive financial compensation for their injuries and financial losses.
Drivers and passengers in other vehicles were injured by a rideshare driver.
Drivers and passengers in another vehicle that have had an accident with an Uber or Lyft vehicle can receive financial compensation for injuries and economic losses.
Pedestrians and bicyclists were injured by a rideshare driver.
Pedestrians and bicyclists injured by a negligent Uber or Lyft driver can receive financial compensation for their injuries and economic losses.
How Can an Uber or Lyft Accident Attorney In Wichita or Kansas City Help an Injured Ridesharing Passenger?
Our Uber and Lyft Accident Attorneys help ridesharing passengers in the following ways:
- Legal guidance and representation.
Our Uber and Lyft ridesharing injury attorneys provide free legal consultation. We then provide legal guidance and representation about your case, charging a legal fee only when we win. - Finding the best medical doctors to treat your injuries.
We have a network of the best doctors and physical therapists along with surgical centers and hospitals who will provide medical treatment even if you have no health insurance. - Negotiation with insurance carriers.
We file all claims with insurance companies including your insurance for Personal Injury Protection benefits (PIP) and for the insurance carrier for the drivers and separately with Uber or Lyft. - Finding critical evidence.
Our law team works together gathering critical evidence needed to prove driver and company negligence and fault. - Financial Compensation.
We work tirelessly to get you the maximum financial compensation available for your injuries. - File legal claims and lawsuits. When insurance companies refuse to pay, we file lawsuits on your behalf and litigate them until settlement has been achieved.
What are Common Types of Injuries Caused by Uber and Lyft drivers?
- Cuts, bruises, and broken bones. Even light to moderate accidents can cause severe cuts, bruises, and broken bones. More severe crashes will result in severe fractures to the spine, shoulders, hips, legs, and feet.
- Concussion and traumatic brain Injuries. Concussions are a frequent injury happening from accidents with passenger vehicles. Some may be head injuries that get better in a few months while more severe accidents can damage the axons in the brain causing a traumatic brain injury (TBI). We hire medical specialists to use sophisticated brain scans like DTIs so we can prove the damaged area of the brain.
- Back and neck injuries. Vehicle accidents will usually result in some form of back or neck injury because of the different forces that happen to both vehicles from acceleration and sudden deceleration injuries. Most back and neck injuries require physical therapy, medication and many end in a need for surgery.
- Nerve injuries. Nerve damage can happen from trauma in the vehicle accident where your shoulder is traumatized or when you have a significant back injury that causes the nerves to radiate pain down arms and hands, legs and feet or from your neck and back.
- Amputations. The trauma of a car or vehicle accident can damage extremities. The accident can cause cuts and infections leading to the need to amputate portions of the body which result in lifelong disability.
- Wrongful death claims. Ridesharing accidents have been statistically proven to increase fatalities from vehicular accidents by as much as two to three percent. In these claims we search for evidence of conscious pain and suffering so that we can add survival claims in addition to the wrongful death claims.
What is the Most Common Cause of Uber and Lyft Accidents?
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation Crash Facts the most common cause of motor vehicle accidents is inattention of drivers. Uber and Lyft drivers are commonly driving into unfamiliar locations and watching or listening to the driving instructions of the apps they use. These apps cause their eyes to be distracted from the traveled roadway leading to crashes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are ridesharing accidents on the rise?
Yes, ridesharing accidents have been rising between 2-4 percent and will continue to rise as these ridesharing companies hire more drivers.
How many drivers does Uber have?
According to Uber Financials and Uber Investors’ Reports Uber has 5.4 million drivers as of the end of 2023 with 1.5 million Uber drivers in the United State.
Does Uber or Lyft do any driver safety training or testing of their hired drivers?
It is well known that defensive driver training and testing helps prevent accidents. Incredibly, neither Uber nor Lyft has any defensive driving training and neither tests their drivers over safety knowledge.
Locations We Serve
With physical offices in Kansas and Texas, the Truck Accident Lawyers Group is ready to represent injured people who have had a motor vehicle and truck accident anywhere in the United States. Make sure you hire an experienced truck accident lawyer who understands the safety rules under the FMCSR.
