What To Do After a Rideshare Accident
Vehicle accidents and the aftermath of an incident can be confusing, and this is especially true after an incident involving a rideshare vehicle. Even though we count on services like Uber and Lyft to get us from point A to point B safely and conveniently, the reality is that accidents involving these vehicles do occur. Here, we want to review some of the steps you should follow if you or a loved one have been involved in a rideshare accident in California.
Seek Medical Care Immediately
Seek medical care as soon as you can. If you have any obvious pain or visible injuries, let emergency medical personnel examine you at the scene of the incident and consider taking the ambulance to the hospital. Even if you do not take an ambulance to the hospital, you should go to an emergency clinic or the emergency room the same day the incident occurred. Often, the signs and symptoms of rideshare accident injuries, or any car accident injury, remain hidden for hours or even a day or so after the collision.
Seeking prompt medical care not only helps ensure your well-being but also helps protect the integrity of your claim against the other parties involved.
Gather as Much Evidence as Possible
At the scene of the accident collision, you may be able to gather some evidence. We understand that the aftermath of an accident can be chaotic, but some of the types of evidence that can help include
- Photographs taken of property damage, injuries, debris, and traffic and weather patterns
- Statements from eyewitnesses, or at the very least, eyewitness contact information
- Possible video surveillance footage from nearby cameras, including dashcams
In the aftermath of the incident, there may be additional evidence you need to gather. However, your attorney can also help you with this process. Some further evidence that could help include the accident report, vehicle black box data, mobile device data, and accident reconstruction data.
Make Sure the Police Come to the Scene
The police should come to the scene of the accident so they can conduct their preliminary investigation and get the accident report filled out. Insurance carriers are going to require the accident report before they even begin to process the claim.
Report the Incident to the Rideshare Company
All major rideshare companies, including Uber and Lyft, give passengers an easy way to report collisions through the app. We encourage you to report the incident to the rideshare company as soon as feasibly possible after the incident.
Contact an Attorney
You may not think you need assistance from an attorney right away after a rideshare accident, but please understand how complicated these claims can get. Rideshare accident victims often run into roadblocks when dealing with the insurance carriers involved. The sooner a rideshare accident attorney in Sacramento gets involved in your case, the better. Your attorney can take over all communication with the other parties involved so you can focus on recovering from your injuries.
Continue Your Medical Treatment
Finally, we encourage you to continue any medical treatment recommended by your healthcare professionals. If you discontinue care against professional medical advice, this could be taken as a sign by the insurance carriers that your injuries are not quite as severe as you said. Continue all of your medical treatment until the doctor says you have reached what they consider maximum medical recovery.