Uber drivers take more than 7.5 billion trips each year on a global level. The vast majority of them end without incident. But every so often, a driver will be involved in an Uber accident. It can result in property damage, injuries, and sometimes even deaths.
If you’re ever in an Uber accident, you will want to know what to do next. But it can be tricky trying to figure out the next move to make after a rideshare accident when you’re a passenger.
We’ve created a list of the steps you’ll want to take in the immediate aftermath of an Uber accident. It’ll make it possible for you to make a full recovery from it.
Be sure to work your way through the steps listed below.
Check on Everyone
Right after an Uber accident occurs, it would be worth checking on everyone who was involved in it. This will begin with you asking your Uber driver if they’re OK.
If you’re able to get out of an Uber safely, you should also get out and see if others involved in the crash are OK. If anyone appears to be seriously injured, calling 911 immediately will take precedence over everything else.
Fortunately, Uber-related fatalities are few and far between. But there is always a small chance that someone could die during an Uber accident if you and others don’t act fast.
Assess Your Injuries
While it’ll be important to check on others after an Uber accident, you should also check on yourself. Try to assess your injuries as best you can to see if you may need any emergency medical attention.
Whiplash, broken bones, and bumps and bruises are some of the most common Uber accident injuries. Find out if you’re suffering from any of them so that you know what kind of medical attention you’ll require.
Contact the Police
There is a good chance that someone else who witnessed your Uber accident will call the police to report it. But don’t just assume that others are going to handle calling the cops.
You should pick up your phone and call the police to let them know about your rideshare accident if you can. It’ll ensure that they’re able to arrive on the scene ASAP.
The police are going to want to put together a full report on your Uber accident. So you should stay put even though your vehicle wasn’t involved in this particular crash.
Take Photos
It’s a good idea to gather as much evidence as you can following an Uber accident. It might come in handy later if you decide to take legal action against Uber, your Uber driver, and/or other drivers involved in your crash.
The good news is that gathering evidence should be as simple as pulling your phone out and snapping a bunch of photos. They’ll be almost all you’ll need to paint a clear picture of what happened during your Uber accident.
Snap as many photos as you can while you’re waiting for police to arrive. Try to capture the accident scene from as many different angles as you can. It could be the difference between you winning and not winning a legal case later on.
Capture Screenshots
As you gather evidence after an Uber crash, you’ll want to do more than just take photos. You should also open up your Uber app if it isn’t open already and capture screenshots.
These screenshots will prove that you were riding in a particular Uber vehicle at the time of your accident. Uber isn’t always going to be super forthcoming with information when you’re building a legal case, so you shouldn’t rely on them to provide you with any information later.
To be on the safe side, you should screenshot as many parts of the Uber app as you can. It’s better to have too many screenshots than to not have enough or, worse, not have any at all.
Ask for an Uber Driver’s Information
If your Uber driver was badly injured during an accident, it’s not going to be a great time to badger them for their information. But if they appear to be OK, you should ask for their name and their auto insurance information.
This is, again, info you might be able to obtain from Uber later on if you aren’t able to get it on the scene. But you might not be able to count on them to deliver this info if you’re taking legal action against them.
If an Uber driver refuses to give you their information for whatever reason, you should at least screenshot their name and any info about their car that you can. It might be enough for an Uber accident lawyer to obtain their info on your behalf.
Notify Uber
At some point, you’re going to want to fill Uber in and let them know about the crash that took place. Try to reach out to them as soon as you’re able to do it in the aftermath of an Uber accident.
If you haven’t picked up on this yet, Uber is not always going to be on your side when you’re in an accident while utilizing their service. So you should be careful about what you choose to say to them.
Ideally, you’ll want to stick to just the facts when speaking with a Uber representative. You’ll also want to leave out any information Uber could use against you later. Only tell them what they need to know until you’ve had an opportunity to touch base with an Uber accident attorney.
Get Medical Attention
Following an Uber accident, it might be obvious that you need medical attention. You might have something like a broken bone that’ll need to be attended to quickly.
But you might feel just fine after an Uber accident. This may lead to you believing you don’t need to get any medical attention.
Get it anyway! There are some medical issues that won’t present themselves until a few days after an Uber accident. Something like whiplash may not become evident right away.
By getting medical attention, you’ll show that you got checked out from head to toe. A doctor might be able to pinpoint signs of potential health problems stemming from an Uber accident. They may also be able to see you again later if you feel any lingering side effects of your accident coming on.
Find an Attorney
An Uber accident can cause a lot of financial issues for you. You might be forced to pay for medical care, and you may also miss days at work and lose money because of it.
For these reasons, you’ll want to enlist the services of an Uber accident lawyer. They’ll be able to evaluate your case and let you know if you have a leg to stand on.
Google “Uber accident lawyers near me” and look at all the options that pop up. There will be more than a few Uber accident attorneys in your general area.
The Uber accident lawyer that you choose should have a wealth of experience when it comes to handling rideshare accident cases. They should also have the time it’ll take for them to try your case in court if things go that far.
Look high and low for the right Uber accident attorney. You might be working with them a lot in the coming months, so you’ll want to have a great rapport with them from the start.
Hire a Lawyer
Once you land on an Uber accident lawyer that you like, hire them and trust them to take your case on. They’ll speak with you about the details of your case and tell you how strong they think it is.
When you hire a lawyer, they’ll also advise you on who you should and shouldn’t talk to when discussing your case. They’ll help you avoid saying anything that could come back to bite you.
Visit https://alphaaccidentlawyers.com and hire a lawyer from this law firm. They have lawyers who specialize in handling Uber accident cases and a wonderful reputation to boot.
Seek a Settlement
The whole point of taking legal action after an Uber accident will be to try to get your hands on compensation. Uber and/or an auto insurance company should be prepared to pay you to cover the costs associated with medical bills, lost wages, and more.
In a perfect world, your Uber accident attorney will be able to work out a fair settlement for you. This will prevent you from having to go to court to sue Uber and/or an auto insurance company.
This will be the best-case scenario for you since it’ll help you avoid having to go through a lengthy legal process. You’ll get access to the money you’ll need without having to worry about heading off to court over the course of several days.
Take Your Case to Court
If your Uber accident lawyer can’t hammer out a settlement deal on your behalf, it won’t be the end of the world. You might actually be able to get even more money by taking your case to court.
You and your lawyer will need to put your heads together to build a strong case following your Uber accident. They’ll ask you all kinds of questions about the accident and bring in any eyewitnesses and expert witnesses who can testify in your case.
As long as your case is strong, your Uber accident lawyer should be able to get you something in court. It could be more than you bargained for.
Work on Healing
If you only sustained bumps and bruises during an Uber accident, healing won’t be too hard. You should start to feel better within just a few days of your crash.
But if you suffered more serious injuries, you might need to spend weeks or even months rebuilding your body and nursing it back to health. You may even need to go to physical therapy to heal.
There can also be mental anguish that can come along with an Uber accident. It could require you to see a therapist to get the emotional pain relief you need.
Take all the time you need to heal following an Uber crash. If everything goes according to plan, you’ll be able to secure the money you’ll need to make a full recovery from your accident.
But it all starts with taking each of the steps that we’ve listed here. They’re going to each play key roles in the recovery process.
If you skip even just one of them, it could affect your physical and mental well-being for years to come. It could also put you in a very tough financial position and make you wish you had taken the time to go through each of these steps more carefully.
Don’t Let an Uber Accident Slow You Down
You shouldn’t need to be too concerned about ever getting into an Uber accident. Most Uber drivers are extremely careful out on the road and practice defensive driving at every turn.
But you never know what might happen when you’re in the back of a ridesharing vehicle. All it’ll take is a split second for your whole life to change forever.
You don’t need to allow an Uber accident to put you on the sidelines, though. You can recover from your crash in a hurry and get the right amount of compensation when you play your cards right.
Find more tips on recovering from car crashes by reading through our other blog articles.