Who Is Liable In a Taxi Accident?
When you schedule a taxi ride to get to your destination, the last thing you expect is an accident to occur. However, just like any other vehicle on the roadway, accidents involving taxis do occur. Determining liability after a taxi accident in California can be challenging. Here, our Sacramento auto accident attorneys want to discuss taxi cab accident liability and review possible routes of recovering compensation for victims of these incidents.
Determining Liability After a Taxi Accident in California
Just like any other type of vehicle accident that occurs on the roadways in and around our area, determining liability is crucial. Nearly every vehicle accident that occurs in California must be reported to law enforcement officials. Usually, the police will come to the scene of an accident, conduct a preliminary investigation, and fill out an accident report. The accident report often includes a narrative from the police officer about who they think caused the incident or whether or not they believe there was shared fault.
However, the police report should not be the final say when it comes to liability. Often, police reports are flawed because they rely on preliminary information and not all of the available evidence. Determining liability typically involves conducting a more extensive investigation into the incident, and this investigation can be carried out by various parties. Insurance carriers will most certainly conduct their own investigation, particularly if they think they will have to pay out compensation to another party.
Some of the evidence used to determine liability can include, but is not limited to, the following:
- The police report
- The taxi driver’s driving record
- Taxi company dispatch and maintenance records
- Photographs taken at the scene of the incident
- Video surveillance footage of the incident
- Statements from those involved and eyewitnesses
- Vehicle black box data
- Mobile device data
- Any citations issued by law enforcement officers
After a taxi accident, there will likely be various interested parties vying for their story to be heard. These parties will likely do everything they can to limit how much compensation they pay any crash victim. Some of the possible liable parties for a taxi accident include:
- The taxi driver
- The taxi operator that employs the driver
- Taxi regulatory authorities
- Other drivers on the roadway
Should You Contact an Attorney?
After a taxi accident, we strongly encourage victims to reach out to a skilled attorney for assistance with their case. A Sacramento injury lawyer with extensive experience can conduct an extensive investigation into the incident on behalf of their client.
These claims are challenging, but an attorney can handle every aspect of the case on behalf of their client. This includes conducting an extensive investigation in order to determine the liability. If there are multiple liable parties, an attorney can work through this to determine where the compensation should come from.
Importantly, an attorney will handle all negotiations with the insurance carriers or legal teams involved. Ultimately, the goal is to help a taxi cab accident victim recover compensation for their medical bills, lost income, property damage expenses, and their pain and suffering damages.