If you live in Albuquerque, Uber and Lyft services are an efficient way to shop in Old Town or work downtown. They are faster than public transportation and cheaper than taxis. The downside is if you are involved in an accident while a passenger. Who pays your medical bills and lost wages if you cannot work while you recuperate?
Rideshare drivers are independent contractors and not employees. If a driver is negligent, companies traditionally have disavowed responsibility for compensating injured passengers. If you are hurt in Uber/Lyft/rideshare accidents in Albuquerque, our skilled attorneys can help you navigate the uncertainty of what to do next.
Ridesharing companies, through websites and apps, allow people requesting transportation to be matched with automobile drivers for hire. The drivers cannot be hailed from the street like taxis, which makes the process safer because the company collects and retains passengers’ and drivers’ personal information.
Transportation Network Companies (TNCs) TNCs perform background checks on drivers before hiring them. When a prospective passenger requests transportation, Uber or Lyft alerts drivers in the vicinity, who can take the fare or decline it. The TNC collects the fare via credit card or a passenger account, and then allocates drivers their portion. Companies that once tried to skirt liability now carry insurance when passengers are injured in rideshare crashes in Albuquerque. Our attorneys are excellent advocates for our clients who are hurt as passengers. We know money matters when negotiating for an insurance settlement, and we are not timid about taking on large insurance companies.
State law requires TNCs to provide insurance coverage for their drivers while they are engaged in waiting for or transporting passengers. While drivers are tuned in to the app waiting for a passenger to request a ride, Uber and Lyft must cover them for primary liability at a minimum of $50,000 per person for bodily injury or death, $100,000 per incident, and $25,000 in property damage.
Once the driver accepts a fare and travels to pick up the passenger or is transporting the passenger, the required coverage minimums increase to at least $1 million for primary liability coverage for bodily injury, death, and property damage. Comprehensive and collision coverage is also required. Our attorneys are highly skilled at negotiating Uber negligence claims in Albuquerque.
In some cases, an at-fault motorist smashes into a rideshare driver. We negotiate with at-fault drivers’ insurers, whether it is the TNC driver or someone else. We strive to get our clients compensated for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, long-term care, emotional stress, and the loss of consortium and enjoyment of life. If a settlement offer is unacceptable, we file successful lawsuits based on negligence, in which the driver has a duty to proceed safely, does not, and causes an accident with injuries. Injuries in a Lyft accident can be devastating, and our Albuquerque attorneys are here to ensure our clients get the best outcome.
Uber and Lyft have changed the way Americans travel locally, and the way these TNCs protect passengers has evolved for the best, too, with mandatory insurance coverage required by the state. However, insurers look for profits, and we look out for you.
Our attorneys are lifelong Albuquerque residents who love our community and neighbors and dedicate our practice to helping both. We guide our clients through the negotiation and litigation process to ensure they are well taken care of because we would want the same for our family. After Uber/Lyft/rideshare accidents in Albuquerque, call us.