Need an Injury Lawyer for an Uber/Ridesharing Accident in Kansas?
Many states have warned riders against Uber or other ridesharing services, saying that you should always take a closer look at your insurance policy before you get behind in the vehicle of someone who is offering you services. You believe that, when you take a ride with a ridesharing service driver, you are getting the best service available. You want to be kept safe from all harm by drivers that you entrust with your care. However, many people do not realize that Uber rides are not like taxi rides and many other services. Unfortunately, every year in America people are injured in ridesharing accidents and aren’t sure where to turn.
You may believe that taking an Uber or another ridesharing service from one place to another is the safest way to get home, especially after a night of drinking with your friends or when your car has left you to sit alongside the roadway. Every day, people decide to utilize the services of a ridesharing company and wonder what they will do when they have been injured in an accident. Who can they bring a claim against? How will they receive the damages that are owed to them during this trying time? We can help you in your time of need if you have been injured in a Kansas ridesharing accident and need our help.
Making the Distinction: Employee or Independent Contractor?
You usually don’t think about the working relationship anybody who offers you services has with the company they work for. This is why, when you get into a vehicle with an Uber driver, you are probably not thinking about their relationship to the company and how you will be able to afford compensation that is owed to you if you get into an accident. Unfortunately, this is an important distinction to make. You want to know if you will be able to compensate for your injuries, which is why it is important to know whether or not the driver is an employee or independent contractor.
If the driver is an employee, you could be covered under a doctrine known as “vicarious liability,” which takes place when you are injured in another party’s scope of employment. Employers become responsible for the actions that their drivers take when they are working. This means that, if a driver ran a red light and you were T-boned as a result, the company and the driver could both share liability for these negligent actions. Companies sometimes try to wash their hands clean of a driver and state that the driver is not an actual employee, which creates real legal issues. For instance, if a driver is actually an independent contractor, you may have problems fighting the company in charge of the driver.
Uber drivers are supposed to protect you from harm, which is why, like many other ridesharing companies nowadays, Uber has adopted a $1 million insurance policy to protect riders in their time of need. This can help you compensate after you have been injured in an accident, but what happens if your damages exceed this $1 million? It is not uncommon to see this happen in cases where you are left with permanent injuries.
You want to have options when it comes to your ridesharing accident. You may have many questions, and we have answers. This is why we want to talk to you as soon as possible after your accident because we can help you from start to finish as you attempt to gain the compensation that will help you back onto your feet during this desperate time. Call us today for more information on how we can help.