What Should You Do Immediately After an Uber Accident?

Guidance from Uber Accident Injury Lawyers on Immediate Steps to Take

The actions you take after an Uber accident matter. Taking the right steps now can pave the way for a successful claim, helping you recover the full amount of compensation you deserve more efficiently and with less stress. It is important to read this article closely, as mistakes during this period are common.

Here are the steps the Uber accident injury lawyers at Drazin & Warshaw—the dedicated team behind the online resource UberHurtMe.com—want every accident victim to take to protect their safety, potential for physical recovery, and legal rights. Attorney Justin Drazin specializes in motor vehicle accidents, with a particular focus on catastrophic injuries. Justin has successfully litigated complex issues of liability, standing up to multi-billion-dollar corporations, to ensure that every client receives maximum compensation for their injuries. Motivated by a devastating case for a friend who was injured as an Uber passenger, Justin founded UberHurtMe.com as one of the nation’s leading resources for victims of Uber and Lyft crashes, violence, and sexual assault.

Justin takes a comprehensive approach to each case, passionately representing each client as if they were a member of the family. His success in litigating Uber and Lyft cases has garnered national attention and earned him a formidable reputation throughout the legal industry.

The most important things that someone can do after an Uber accident are get photographs of the accident scene and the damage to the cars, get proper medical attention, and—maybe most importantly—contact an attorney very soon after the accident to make sure they’re getting proper advice on how to pursue a potential claim.

Steps to Take at the Scene of an Uber Crash

In the immediate aftermath of an Uber accident, the shock of the collision can leave you disoriented. Your priorities need to be protecting yourself from further risks to your safety, getting help, and gathering the evidence necessary to support any claim you may need to pursue.

Get to Safety

A collision can leave you in a vulnerable position, right in the path of oncoming traffic where drivers aren’t expecting to encounter obstacles. To avoid a subsequent collision and even more significant injuries, make every possible effort to get to a safe place. If needed, ask witnesses to help you escape the path of traffic. Try to avoid movements that aggravate your injuries.

Call for Help

An Uber accident should always be reported to the authorities. By calling 911, you can initiate the process of reporting the accident to the police as well as request the help of emergency medical providers. Parties such as Uber drivers and other at-fault motorists may try to deter you from reporting the accident, but our Uber accident injury lawyers strongly urge you to err on the side of caution.

If you report the accident and it later turns out that no one suffered serious harm, you haven’t lost anything—but if you fail to report the accident when it happens, it could be more challenging to get the compensation you deserve later on if necessary.

When the police arrive, provide the required information, such as your name and address. If relevant (for example, if you were driving another vehicle when the crash with an Uber driver occurred), provide your insurance information to the officer as well as others involved in the collision.

As you’re reporting the Uber accident to the authorities, don’t forget to also report it to the rideshare company. In-app features allow you to report the accident to Uber directly. Even if the Uber driver has already reported the accident, submitting your own report ensures that Uber has a record of the crash from your perspective.

Be very careful about what you’re telling these corporations, because they’re not gathering data to help you. They’re gathering this data to help them minimize any future claims.

Document the Scene

The police report documents that the accident occurred, as well as establishing the officer’s interpretation of the factors that contributed to the accident. Although the police report serves as important evidence for your claim, this document isn’t the only information that can help support your case for compensation. The more information you are able to provide that establishes how the accident occurred, the better. To the extent possible, document the accident scene through:

Photos and videos of the collision site, any visible damage or debris, and visible injuries
The contact information and statements of any witnesses
Notes that include everything you remember about the accident and the events leading up to it
Screenshots of your Uber trip details, including the trip information, driver’s name, license plate, and other details shown on the Uber app

As you document the scene to the best of your ability, use caution. Don’t put your safety at risk or aggravate your injuries. The evidence you’re able to gather at the scene is valuable, but it’s not as important as your health and safety. Your Uber accident injury lawyers will conduct a thorough investigation, which may include working with accident reconstruction specialists to obtain additional data if necessary.

Undergo an Initial Medical Evaluation

Once emergency medical personnel arrive on the scene, you should undergo an initial evaluation. An examination at the scene of the crash is not extensive enough to rule out potential injury, but this evaluation can identify life-threatening injuries that require immediate medical intervention.

As scary as this situation can be, and as much as you may worry about the financial costs, you need to put your health first. If first responders recommend it, take an ambulance to the emergency room to make sure you receive the timely treatment you need. Your Uber accident injury lawyers will help you sort out questions about who pays your medical bills later, but right now, what matters most is getting the care you need to have the best possible prognosis.

What Not to Do After an Uber Accident

Just as there are steps you should take after an Uber accident, there are also mistakes you should avoid.

Don’t apologize to anyone, even if you mean you’re sorry that the accident occurred rather than sorry for causing it. An apology can be misconstrued as admitting fault, even if you did everything right.
Don’t agree to handle this situation without involving the police or insurance companies. At this time, you don’t know how severe the injuries and property damage are. You may need a police report to document the collision and insurance coverage to address your losses.
Don’t tell the other drivers, witnesses, police officers, or anyone else that you’re “okay” or “fine.” Some serious injuries aren’t obvious immediately after an accident, and guessing or assuming that you are not hurt at all could undermine your claim if you end up with delayed-onset injuries.

If you’ve made one of these very common mistakes, don’t stress over what you should have done differently. You were in a difficult, unexpected situation, and you did the best you could with the knowledge you had. Instead, focus on the future by consulting experienced Uber accident injury lawyers. We can take proactive action to help you correct misunderstandings and missed opportunities before any more time passes.

Beginning the Road to Recovery

Uber accident injuries can range from sprains, strains, and whiplash significant enough to impact your daily routine to catastrophic damage that derails your entire life. For injuries at every level of severity, receiving prompt, appropriate medical intervention provides the best hope of a positive prognosis.

Even if you believe you’ve suffered only minor aches and pains—even if emergency medical personnel on the scene didn’t identify any life-threatening harm—you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. You don’t have to go to the emergency department if you believe your injuries don’t rise to the level of a true emergency, but it’s smart to at least go to an urgent care facility or make an appointment at your doctor’s office (if your provider handles injuries arising out of car accidents).

The sooner you undergo a thorough medical evaluation, the better, for both your likelihood of achieving the maximum improvement possible and the strength of your injury claim. Early treatment serves as documentation of your injuries. Ideally, seek medical care as soon as you leave the scene of the crash. If you don’t see a doctor and you notice that your pain, loss of mobility, or other symptoms are getting worse rather than better in the hours and days after the Uber accident, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Throughout your medical care, keep records of all tests, treatments, appointments, medications, and out-of-pocket costs. This information serves as valuable documentation for your legal claim, establishing the extent of your injuries and the pain and suffering you have been through.

Protecting Your Legal Rights and Initiating Your Claim

If you have an auto insurance policy of your own, even if you weren’t driving at the time of the Uber accident, you have an obligation to inform your own insurer of the collision promptly. You will also need to notify other insurers involved in the accident to open a claim with them.

Contact a lawyer immediately. There’s evidence that needs to be collected and communications that need to be properly done so that Uber and Lyft don’t take advantage of you after you’ve been injured.

Throughout this process, you need to avoid pitfalls that could hurt your case. All of the insurers involved in your case, even your own, benefit from paying out as little in claims as possible, which means they’re approaching your case with a goal that directly opposes yours.

Numerous mistakes in your interactions with insurers could undermine your claim, including:

Telling insurers that you’re “fine”
Providing a recorded statement, which the insurer can twist and take out of context
Making guesses or assumptions about fault for the crash or the severity of your injuries when you don’t know the full facts yet
Authorizing access to your full medical history, which the insurer could use to blame your current symptoms on prior injuries or pre-existing conditions
Making small talk or providing any information not required of you, which the insurer may try to use to minimize your compensation

Because there are so many ways interactions with insurance companies could negatively affect the future of your claim, you shouldn’t go into these interactions unprepared. It’s in your best interests to consult with experienced Uber accident attorneys before you notify your insurer of the crash so you understand your rights and the common tactics insurers use to minimize claims payouts. If you choose to retain our attorneys at this point in your legal journey, you can pass off this hassle to the professionals and focus instead on getting the care you need.

Speak to the Experienced Uber Accident Lawyers From Drazin & Warshaw Today at No Cost

If the full list of do’s and don’ts after an accident leaves you feeling overwhelmed, one of the most important things to know is that you don’t have to do this alone. Our Uber accident injury lawyers will help you take things one step at a time, breaking down the claims process into manageable steps and handling every aspect of your legal matter.

A lawyer is very important for someone who has been injured in a rideshare accident, specifically Uber or Lyft. In the moments after an accident, you need to start thinking about how you might be injured and what kind of evidence you might need to pursue a lawsuit against Uber.

Our team’s firsthand experience with the serious injuries victims suffer and the legal challenges they encounter when seeking to hold Uber and Lyft accountable inspired us to devote a division of our practice to this area of injury law and build the online resource UberHurtMe.com.

UberHurtMe.com provides the information that victims of injuries involved in Uber and lift accidents need from day one through the end of their trial.

We offer a free, no-obligation consultation that allows you to explore your legal options, understand your rights, and find out how our firm can represent you in an Uber accident claim at no upfront cost.

Disclaimer: This blog is intended for informational purposes only and does not establish an attorney-client relationship. It should not be considered as legal advice. For personalized legal assistance, please consult our team directly.