Thousands of people visit Los Angeles every day, and many of them are from foreign countries. Given Uber’s global popularity, many of those foreign nationals use the service to get around the city after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). When they’re a passenger and in an accident that was caused by the carelessness and negligence of somebody else, they have the same right of access to the courts and compensation for their injuries as any United States citizen has. What’s sad is the accident might not just involve a fractured hand or foot. The injuries suffered in any accident can range from mild to permanent and debilitating.

When the Accident is the Fault of Somebody Else

If the foreign national is an Uber passenger, and another driver causes an accident that injures him or her, that passenger must first look to the other driver’s insurer for compensation. What comes to issue is that mandatory minimum liability insurance limits in California are only $15,000 per person and $30,000 per occurrence. That $15,000 of minimum coverage isn’t going come anywhere near covering the hospital, surgical and rehab bills involved in a surgery. Regardless of the fact that the Uber driver has his or her own insurance, it’s unlikely that it will cover the driver when driving for a commercial purpose. That leaves the injured passenger looking toward Uber. Fortunately, Uber covers its drivers with $1 million of uninsured and underinsured bodily injury coverage. The passenger is even covered in the event of a hit-and-run.

One such accident occurred early 2018. On January 1, 2018, a Ukranian model visiting southern California was in an Uber driver’s Toyota Prius which was T-boned by an alleged drunk driver. According to ABC7, the driver then attempted to run away but was stopped thanks to some Good Samaritans.

How Much Is Your Settlement Worth?

Schedule a completely free, no obligation consultation with our team

Schedule Consultation

When the Accident is the Fault of the Uber Driver

When the driver isn’t on the Uber app, he or she is covered by their own insurance. Upon acceptance of a trip, Uber’s $1 million liability policy is triggered. That policy remains effective until such time as the passenger has exited the vehicle. Insurance coverage then reverts back to the driver’s own insurance until such time as the driver agrees to pick up another passenger. That’s when the clock starts ticking on the $1 million of coverage again.

Contact an experienced LA Uber Accident Lawyer

Sometimes both parties to a car accident are at fault. The victim doesn’t want to be left on the sidelines while two insurance companies point their respective fingers at each other. He or she was a passenger and did nothing to contribute to the crash. As experienced Los Angeles Uber Accident Lawyers, we know how to get their attention, and we know how to get a judge and jury to put an end to their finger pointing. Whether you were a foreign national who was injured as a passenger in an Uber accident or a U.S. citizen, you can contact us for a free confidential consultation and case review on any Uber accident in or around Los Angles. We’ll listen carefully to you, and we’ll be pleased to answer your questions. Then we’ll give you your legal options. We represent injury victims on a contingency fee basis. That means no legal fees are due unless we obtain a settlement or verdict for you. Contact us right away after any Uber accident if you were visiting from Ukraine, Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Spain, Germany or any other country.

 

Resource