The rideshare company Uber has served Orlando area visitors and residents since 2014, and has become a popular personal transportation option for getting around town. Uber provides passengers convenient access to a ride. Yet, relying on Uber and other rideshare companies to get where you need to go comes at a cost: the risk of accidents that cause serious and fatal injuries. Florida has implemented regulations for rideshare companies to follow designed to promote safety for Uber passengers and to protect victims of accidents involving Uber cars.
Yet, even with these regulatory protections, an Orlando-area Uber accident can leave victims and their families to struggle with significant physical, emotional, and financial difficulty. If you sustained injuries in an Uber accident in or around Orlando, then Florida law may entitle you to take legal action against at-fault parties seeking compensation for your injuries and losses. The experienced Orlando Uber accident lawyers at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA represent victims of Orlando Uber accidents in taking that legal action. Contact us today online or at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) for a free consultation to learn about your legal rights.
Our Results in Rideshare Accident Cases
The skilled team of Orlando Uber accident attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA have extensive experience in the settlement, negotiation, and litigation of Orlando Uber accident claims, including those arising from rideshare accidents. Our firms' collective commitment to case preparation and the pursuit of maximum compensation for their clients has led to the recovery of tens of millions of dollars in damages through settlements and jury verdicts. For example:
In 2018, a rideshare vehicle and another vehicle raced towards an intersection trying to beat a red light, leading to a high-speed, high-impact collision. The rideshare passenger suffered fatal injuries upon impact and tragically passed away at the hospital. After the victim's wife contacted our firm, we filed a wrongful death lawsuit on her behalf and secured a settlement of $1,000,000 for surviving family members.- Another client suffered injuries as a rideshare passenger when a speeding, drunk driver crashed into the rideshare vehicle. Our client went to the emergency room, received treatment, and the doctor cleared him that day. Yet, he soon started to experience pain in his shoulder, neck, and lower back, and he suffered from painful headaches. Our client initially contacted another attorney to help him, but the lawyer did not communicate, so the client turned to Dolman Law Group for help. We negotiated a settlement for $939,000 with the drunk driver's insurance company, which helped our client recover from shoulder surgery, spine surgery, and a traumatic brain injury.
These are only examples of our successes. They do not guarantee a specific outcome for any future Uber accident claim. They do, however, illustrate how the experienced Orlando Uber accident attorneys at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA have the knowledge and resources to aggressively pursue the best possible outcome for every client's circumstances.
Careless Drivers Cause Orlando Uber Accidents
Many Orlando traffic collisions, including those that involve Uber drivers, result from someone's preventable, dangerous decision or action behind the wheel, or in connection with building and maintaining vehicles and roads. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we commonly represent clients who have suffered injuries in rideshare accidents caused by the following unsafe decisions and behaviors.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving plagues drivers of all types and ages. Uber drivers, however, often confront more distractions than most other drivers. Sometimes Uber drivers cannot avoid these distractions. Other times they willingly allow themselves to get distracted. Common distractions for Orlando Uber drivers that can lead to dangerous accidents include:
- Paying attention to the Uber rideshare app that connects drivers to their potential passengers, rather than to the road;
- Talking on a cellphone while driving;
- Talking to passengers;
- Monitoring unruly passengers;
- Fiddling with radio or GPS settings; and
- Visually scanning for an address or for a passenger waiting to be picked up.
Any distraction that takes a driver's eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, or mind off the task of driving, can put drivers, passengers, and others on the road at risk for a deadly accident. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we work to hold drivers accountable for causing accidents because of dangerous distractions.
Drowsy Driving
Uber drivers struggle with not getting enough rest, meaning they often drive while fatigued or drowsy. Uber limits drivers to 12 hours per day to prevent drowsy driving, but the restriction only governs driving time when an Uber driver is transporting a rider or traveling to pick up a ride. It does not include breaks between riders. Uber drivers also commonly use multiple ridesharing apps at once and might drive for more than one rideshare service. Switching from one to the other makes it possible to drive for far more than 12 hours per day. Finally, many Uber drivers sign-up with the service as a way to make some extra money on the side, while also holding down regular jobs. Some take rides after already having worked a full day at a different job. Passengers and other motorists should worry about Uber drivers feeling extreme fatigue, or even falling asleep, at the wheel. In fact, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) warns that drivers who go without sleep for 18 hours suffer the same level of impairment as a driver with a blood or breath alcohol level of 0.08, the legal limit for drunk driving. In other words, a fatigued Uber driver is as dangerous as a drunk Uber driver, and is far more common. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we have seen far too many tragic car accident injuries in Orlando to ignore the extreme danger of drowsy driving. We fight to make sure victims of fatigued Uber drivers receive the compensation they deserve.
Drunk Driving
Although Uber drivers are professional drivers, the law does not hold them to the same standards as truck drivers, bus drivers, and others who hold a commercial drivers' license (CDL). Importantly, although CDL-holders are subject to 0.04 blood alcohol limit, the law treats Uber drivers the same as any other private driver subject to the higher 0.08 BAC limit. Similarly, while CDL-holders must submit to random drug and alcohol screenings mandated by law, Uber drivers face no such requirements. Although Florida law does require Uber to perform criminal and driving background checks on drivers, background checks do not always reveal when a driver has struggled with alcohol or drug use. A clean record might simply mean the driver has never been caught. Uber drivers who drive while impaired by alcohol or other controlled substances put themselves and others at extreme danger of an accident. We work to hold them financially accountable when their reckless decisions cause a crash.
Speeding
Uber pays drivers per ride, so its drivers in Orlando have a strong incentive to deliver passengers to their destinations as quickly as possible, to take as many fares as possible. Unfortunately, this sometimes encourages them to exceed the posted speed limit or to drive too fast for road conditions. Drivers run high risks when they speed during Florida thunderstorms, in heavy traffic, and in areas where wildlife regularly crosses the road. Uber passengers can rate drivers on their unsafe driving. However, that does not always prevent drivers from pushing the boundaries of safety and getting into an accident. The lawyers of Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA pursue justice for the victims of speeding drivers.
Poor Vehicle Maintenance
Uber's requirements for vehicle inspections are continuously changing. Before COVID-19, drivers needed to visit a Greenlight Hub once per year for an inspection. Many of Uber's Greenlight Hubs have closed in response to the global pandemic. Mandatory vehicle inspections may or may not resume in the coming months or years. Regardless, Uber drivers do not have the same requirements to keep their vehicles roadworthy as commercial vehicles. If a driver doesn't change out worn tires, check braking systems, and perform other common vehicle maintenance, they risk mechanical failure while giving rides. Tire blowouts and breakdowns can lead to dangerous and deadly accidents for Uber riders and others who share the road with negligent Uber drivers. The teams at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA understand that vehicle maintenance is a must to keep Uber passengers safe. Drivers who ignore it put their passengers and others in danger and should face legal and financial accountability for any resulting accidents.
Learn more: Filing a Claim for an Uber Sexual Assault
What to Do After an Orlando Uber Accident
If you suffered injuries in an Orlando Uber accident, then make seeking prompt medical care your top priority. Visit a doctor right away, even if you think your injuries were only minor. Many dangerous Orlando Uber accident injuries may not necessarily show symptoms right away, but doctors can spot them and prevent them from getting worse. Also, if you carry PIP insurance, then you must seek medical treatment for any injuries within 14 days to preserve your right to receive coverage. Failing to seek medical treatment within this window of time could cost you valuable benefits. Finally, document your injuries and their connection to the Uber accident that caused them, and visiting a doctor does that by generating medical records that your lawyer can use in a later legal action seeking compensation for your injuries and losses. Orlando Uber accident victims may also benefit from taking some other steps to protect their legal and financial interests, such as:
- Put your PIP insurance company on notice. In addition to visiting a doctor within 14 days (and preferably much sooner) of your Orlando Uber accident, you may want to notify your PIP insurance company of the accident and your injuries. This may help to ensure that you receive your PIP benefits, and to preserve your right to seek further compensation from any at-fault party.
- File an accident report with Uber. Uber requires all of its drivers to report any incidents or accidents, but it may serve your interests to file your own report with the company, too. This may facilitate you receiving benefits from special supplemental insurance Uber provides for its drivers. However, in filing this report, be careful. Your description of how the accident happened, and of your injuries, will likely end up as evidence in any later legal action you take, report accurately. If you have any doubts about what to say in a report, speak with an experienced Orlando personal injury lawyer first.
- Contact an experienced Orlando Uber accident attorney. In many ways, getting hurt in an accident involving an Uber car does not differ from any other type of Orlando-area traffic accident. However, it does differ from those run-of-the-mill accidents in at least one important way. Uber provides supplemental insurance for its drivers that cover against liability for accidents. However, the limits of that insurance vary, depending upon what the driver was doing at the time of the crash. The highest limits apply when an accident happens while a driver travels to pick up or transport a passenger. A lower limit applies when accidents occur while the driver is logged in to the Uber app only. And, the insurance does not apply at all for Uber drivers who crash at times when they are not logged-in to the app. This makes figuring out the driver's “status” extremely important. By calling an experienced Uber accident attorney right away after your crash with an Uber car, you can help to ensure that key evidence about the driver's status gets preserved, so that (if possible) you can use it to obtain benefits under Uber's supplemental insurance policies.
Call Our Skilled Orlando Uber Accident Injury Lawyers
Orlando Uber accidents can inflict severe physical, emotional, and financial trauma on victims and their families. A skilled, resourceful attorney can help those victims obtain the compensation they deserve for their injuries and losses. If you suffered injuries in an Orlando-area traffic accident involving an Uber car, then contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA online or at 833-552-7274 (833-55-CRASH) for a free consultation to learn about your legal rights to compensation. We have offices across both Florida coasts from which we can easily serve you.
Orlando Office
1701 Park Center Drive, Suite #240-G
Orlando, FL 32835
Phone: (407) 759-4565
Client Testimonial
“AMAZING and understanding attorneys! Did great on my case and I highly recommend Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA for anyone that has been injured in an accident!" Rating: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Koralis R. Jan 2020 Read more reviews on Google!