Need an Injury Lawyer After an Uber/Ridesharing Accident in Rhode Island?
Rhode Island law requires ridesharing drivers to obtain permits, and certain background checks, and sets minimum insurance requirements. Ridesharing drivers are also required to carry the following minimum levels of insurance: “(1) Primary automobile liability insurance in the amount of at least fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for death and bodily injury per person, one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) or death and bodily injury per incident, and twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) for property damage.”
You have the right to seek financial compensation if you have been negligently or recklessly injured by a ridesharing driver. However, going after Uber, Lyft or other ridesharing company may not be your best legal option, because these companies take great pains to shield themselves by using independent contractor drivers.
Ridesharing Companies Attempt to Dodge Liability by Utilizing Independent Contractors
When a ridesharing company uses independent contractor drivers, it offers the company the advantage of being able to claim that they are not responsible for the drivers’ actions, as independent contractors cannot bind the company to anything. In one way, this is beneficial to society because the ridesharing companies would probably go out of business if they could be sued for every mistake their drivers made. But when their drivers cause serious injuries and damages, the innocent victims should not be without recourse. For this reason, in many states the ridesharing companies are required to carry liability insurance up to $1 million.
Don’t Go Up Against the Insurance Company Alone
If you have been the victim of a ridesharing driver’s negligence or recklessness, one of your first steps should be to retain a personal injury trial attorney. This step might come after some more immediate ones, such as calling the police, gathering evidence and taking pictures at the accident scene, getting yourself to safety and obtaining medical treatment.
But retaining an attorney should be done as soon as possible, because you should not be surprised if the ridesharing company’s insurance company attempts to contact you. This is a conversation you do not want to have on your own. Despite what they might say to the contrary, the ridesharing insurance company is most likely attempting to gather information from you that they can use to reduce or deny your claim altogether.
Retain the Services of A Reputable Trial Attorney
If you have an experienced personal injury trial attorney, that attorney will be thoroughly familiar with the games that insurance companies play in attempting to reduce their payouts. Such an attorney will not even take the bait, and the insurance company knows it. Instead, the insurance company is more likely to deal seriously and in good faith with both your attorney and you. Ideally, you have an attorney who has already set your case full speed ahead towards trial, and the insurance company will do whatever they have to do to stop that process.
So if you have a good trial attorney on your side, you have a better chance of obtaining just and fair compensation for your injuries caused by the Uber, Lyft or other ridesharing driver. Contact us today to find out more!