Pittsburgh
Uber Accident Lawyer

On This Page

1. Pittsburgh Uber Accident Lawyer That's on Your Side
2. How does Insurance Work with Uber Accidents?
3. What Are My Legal Options After an Uber Accident?
4. What Damages Are Available to Uber Accident Claimants?
5. Who Can I Pursue Damages from in a Rideshare Accident Case?
6. Can I Afford to Work with a Rideshare Accident Lawyer?

REVIEWED BY

C. William Kenny

November 11, 2024

Board certified by National Board of Trial Advocacy

Pittsburgh Uber Accident Lawyer That’s on Your Side

Rideshare services like Uber offer travelers a convenient alternative to driving themselves. However, Ubers can get into traffic accidents like any other type of vehicle. When they do, recovering injury compensation can be quite tricky.

A Pittsburgh, PA, Uber accident lawyer from Berger and Green can evaluate your car accident case and help you hold liable parties financially accountable for your injuries and damages. Our Pittsburgh car accident lawyers understand the complexities and unique aspects involved in rideshare cases. We will use this knowledge and our 40-plus years of personal injury experience to get the awards you deserve.

How does Insurance Work with Uber Accidents?

Uber requires all its drivers to carry personal auto liability insurance, but the company has an insurance policy for covered losses. Uber has a $1 million policy that covers Uber drivers’ liability.

When an Uber driver causes an accident, Uber’s insurer covers up to $1 million per accident for the victims’ damages. The policy will also kick in if an uninsured or underinsured motorist causes the accident. However, whether Uber pays depends on whether or not the driver was on the app at the time of the crash.

Let our Pittsburgh personal injury lawyers explain. Uber insurance covers your damages in an accident, but only while the app is on. Uber’s coverage depends on what period the driver was in:

• Period 1: The driver is on the app but has not accepted a fare
• Period 2: The driver has matched with a rider and is driving to pick up the said rider
• Period 3: The driver has a rider in the car

Uber’s $1 million policy only provides financial compensation for accidents occurring during periods 2 and 3. Uber will cover a driver in Period 1 in the amount of $50,000 for bodily injury per person, $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage. The driver’s personal insurance applies if the app was not on during the crash.

What Are My Legal Options After an Uber Accident?

Your options after an Uber car accident depend on two factors: your role (e.g., driver, passenger, or a third party) and which party caused the accident. Generally, the party that caused the accident is liable for damages. However, there are several potential scenarios:

• Third-party liability: If another driver was at fault and hit the Uber vehicle you were riding in, you can file a personal injury claim with that party’s insurance company. This applies to both Uber drivers and passengers. If that driver has no or too little insurance to cover your losses, Uber insurance will likely cover you.
• Uber liability: If the Uber driver causes the accident, you can file a claim with Uber’s insurance company. This is true whether you are an Uber passenger, an occupant of another car, a pedestrian, or a cyclist.
• Uber drivers’ options: Uber accidents are probably the most complicated for rideshare drivers:
  • Scenario A: If your accident occurred while off duty, you will need to file a claim with either the at-fault party’s insurer or your insurer.
  • Scenario B: If you were on duty (the app was on) when the accident occurred, Uber insurance will kick in, but as we stated above, the period will affect compensation amounts.
  • Scenario C: In the rare cases where a passenger causes an Uber driver harm, such as in assault cases, you have the right to file a civil lawsuit against that passenger. Our personal injury lawyers can give you more detailed information.

What Damages Are Available to Uber Accident Claimants?

Uber accident victims can pursue a range of losses. The National Safety Council (NSC) reports that the average cost of economic and non-economic damages for a car accident involving an evident injury was $221,000 in 2021. If you suffered a severe or catastrophic injury, those costs increase to around $1 million. Even with health insurance coverage, few Americans have the savings to offset this significant expense.

Economic damages available to claimants after an Uber accident, which cover financial losses, include:

• Lost wages, including back pay and lost employment benefits
• Medical expenses, including emergency transportation, surgeries, hospitalizations, rehabilitation, long-term nursing, and any other necessary accident-related treatment
• Property damages, including the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle (if applicable) and other personal items, such as cellphones, laptops, or jewelry
• Reduction in earning capacity if you cannot return to your previous job, must reduce your workload, or leave the workforce

Non-economic damages can contribute to the valuation of your settlement. These damages include an equally important aspect of Uber accidents: emotional fallout. Non-economic damages can reimburse you for:

• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Mental distress
• Loss of enjoyment
• Reduced quality of life

Wrongful Death Damages

In some rare cases, Uber accidents involve wrongful death. If your case includes the passing of a loved one, we are truly sorry. Our legal team understands how difficult it is to lose a special person.

Our attorneys can help the deceased’s personal representative pursue compensation for surviving family members. Awards for fatal crashes may include the following:

• The deceased’s medical bills
• Funeral expenses
• Burial expenses
• The deceased’s lost wages and benefits (including what they likely would have earned had they lived)
• Loss of the deceased’s household services, guidance, society, and comfort

Usually, only parents, children, or the spouse of a deceased person can pursue a wrongful death case, per Pa. C.S.A. § 8301. However, this legal regulation could shift depending on the facts of your case. Our team of wrongful death lawyers can evaluate your case and determine your eligibility.

Who Can I Pursue Damages from in a Rideshare Accident Case?

Uber accidents typically involve one of two liable parties:

• An Uber driver
• Another driver on the roadway

Every Uber accident is different, meaning it is important to closely review the evidence associated with your case before settling on a liable party. Our team can assist you with this portion of the process and work to establish the four elements of negligence:

• The at-fault party owed you a duty of care, meaning they had a legal obligation to drive safely and obey traffic laws.
• They behaved careless, recklessly, or wrongfully and breached this duty of care. Examples of negligence in a car wreck case include drunk driving, speeding, texting and driving, or running a red light. 
• The liable driver’s negligent behavior caused your accident
• You suffered quantifiable damages as a result

Can I Afford to Work with a Rideshare Accident Lawyer?

Hiring a Pittsburgh Uber accident attorney from our firm is more straightforward than you might think. We are fully aware of the fact that car accidents can be expensive. For this reason, we are committed to not contributing to your financial troubles. We operate on a contingency fee basis, which means that:

• You do not pay anything upfront for our legal services
• You do not have to pay us unless we secure you a settlement or verdict

We believe that financial concerns should not prevent Uber accident victims from seeking legal counsel. Therefore, we have completely done away with upfront fees and retainers to make your legal experience as simple as possible.

What Types of Complications Might Occur with Uber Accident Cases?

One of the first hurdles in an Uber accident case will be determining fault/liability and filing the claim with the appropriate insurance company. It is not uncommon for liability to become a bit convoluted with these types of cases. For example, the involved parties or their insurers may disagree on fault and which party should pay for damages. This can result in long, drawn-out cases and delayed payments.

Tip – collect as much evidence at the scene as possible for later use to speed up your case. Get involved parties’ and witnesses’ contact information, take photos, etc., and do not admit to any fault. You do not have to lose your cool and blame others, but you do not need to fall on that sword, either.

If you could not/did not get much evidence at the time of the crash, do not worry, that is a task our personal injury lawyers can assist with. We can collect:

• Medical records
• Police reports
• Physical evidence and photographs from the scene
• Available surveillance or dashcam footage of the collision
• Eyewitness accounts
• Expert testimony

Another thing you should prepare yourself for is proving your damages. While most of your expenses and losses are recoverable, no insurance company will compensate you without evidence that verifies your damages. Our attorneys can use items such as medical bills, receipts, doctors’ prognoses, professional estimates, photos of injuries and vehicle damage, and proof of lost wages to verify and calculate your losses.

Ensuring you have accounted for all of your current and projected damages before settling your claim is important. Once you sign a settlement offer from an insurer, you cannot go back and ask for more funds later if your injury worsens.

How Long do I Have to File an Uber Accident Lawsuit in Pittsburgh?

Rideshare accidents fall under the larger umbrella of personal injury law. This means they are subject to Pa. C.S.A. § 5524, Pennsylvania’s personal injury statute of limitations. This law provides claimants hoping to pursue an Uber rideshare accident lawsuit with a two-year deadline, starting on the date of the crash.

Most rideshare accidents get settled without lawsuits. However, it is important to note that lawsuits are effective legal instruments. We can use them to leverage insurance negotiations in your favor. Therefore, if the deadline to take legal action expires, it will reduce your bargaining power and could lead to a reduced or denied claim. 

Similarly, building a strong legal case is time-consuming. The sooner you initiate your claim, the more time your legal team will have to contact witnesses and gather evidence. As time passes, witnesses may forget what they know about your case, and the evidence may become cloudier.

How do I Get Started with My Uber Accident Claim?

Before filing a claim or taking any legal action, consider running your case by a Pittsburgh, PA, Uber accident and injury attorney with Berger and Green. We offer free case evaluations for anyone involved in an Uber accident, including drivers, passengers, and third parties. In addition, we can help you navigate confusing insurance policies, prove liability, and pursue the full amount of compensation owed to you.

In cases where we cannot settle amicably, we can take the case to court and pursue a maximum award on your behalf. Recovering sizable settlements and verdicts for our clients is what our team does best.

Our attorneys are members of the National Trial Lawyers and The Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an elite group open only to lawyers who have won million-dollar or multi-million-dollar settlements or verdicts for their clients.

Contact Berger and Green About Your Uber Accident Case Today

Contact us for a free Uber accident consultation and get started down the road to financial recovery today. A team member is standing by to answer your questions and tell you more about working with our experienced Pittsburg, PA, Uber accident attorneys. We want to help you fight for maximum compensation. Connect with a lawyer near you.