The rideshare industry has revolutionized travel within local communities for visitors and residents alike. While Albuquerque residents enjoy the convenience and privacy of Uber rides, it means fewer passengers on a single city bus and more passengers crowding the road in separate vehicles. However, accidents can still happen to those who use ridesharing services in New Mexico.
If you’ve been injured in an accident as a pedestrian or passenger with a rideshare vehicle in New Mexico, contact our experienced Albuquerque car accident attorneys at Caruso Law Offices to discuss your rights following a crash with ridesharing services.
Call (505) 883-5000 today for a free case evaluation. Our local Albuquerque law firm is dedicated to helping you pursue legal recourse.
Why Choose Our Albuquerque Uber Accident Attorney?
Uber accident claims are often problematic due to the rideshare company’s uniquely structured insurance coverage. You need an Albuquerque car accident lawyer willing to fight for you against insurance companies that commonly dispute claims in rideshare accidents. Our law firm offers significant advantages, including the following:
Dedication
Our entire law firm exclusively handles traffic accident claims, whether it’s a pedestrian accident claim in Albuquerque or a motor vehicle accident claim. You’ll have the collaborative minds of a team dedicated solely to recovering compensation for your Uber accident and an attorney focusing on your case.
Experience
We have a background of navigating car accident claims in Albuquerque for over 20 years, building connections with impeccable resources such as the best expert witnesses in the Southwest, including accident reconstruction experts and medical experts. We understand the insurance issues involved in Uber accidents and how to build strong cases for our clients.
Results
The results-oriented attorneys at Caruso Law Offices have track records of securing multi-million-dollar settlements and court awards for clients.
Why Are Uber Accident Claims So Complicated?
Uber is an app company focused on creating a product that connects independent drivers with passengers, thus distancing itself from liability. Instead, they require contracted drivers to carry specially tailored rideshare insurance. While it may vary from state to state, the insurance policies generally work in the following structure:
- If the Uber driver drives their car for personal use, their own private auto insurance coverage is in place
- Once the driver turns on their Uber app to wait for a request, the coverage provides up to $25,000 for property damage coverage, $50,000 per person for injuries, or $100,000 total coverage per accident
- Once the Uber driver has a passenger booked and is driving to pick up the passenger, and then throughout the rideshare trip with the passenger, the top level of coverage is in place, providing up to $1 million per accident
With multiple policies on a single driver, the insurer often disputes the assertion that their coverage was in effect when the accident occurred.
If you were in a collision with an Uber vehicle, the insurance company may assign you an undue portion of fault to minimize your payout by that percentage of fault. An Albuquerque Uber accident Lawyer from Caruso Law Offices will aggressively defend your rights and fight for your best interests to recover the full compensation available to you.
What Damages Can I Recover After an Uber Accident in Albuquerque?
If your claim is successful, you may be able to recover compensatory damages for both the financial and personal toll the accident has taken on your life. Economic damages cover your measurable financial losses, such as:
- Medical bills you have already received, as well as the cost of any future treatment you are expected to need
- Lost wages
- Diminished earning capacity
- The cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle
- Out-of-pocket expenses related to the accident
Non-economic damages are meant to address the ways the accident has affected you beyond just your finances. These include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Conditions such as anxiety, depression, or PTSD that developed as a result of the crash
In rare cases involving extreme recklessness or intentional misconduct, punitive damages may also be on the table. Your attorney can evaluate whether that applies to your situation.
What if I Am Being Blamed for My Albuquerque Uber Accident?
Do not panic if the insurance company tries to put some of the blame on you. New Mexico follows a pure comparative negligence standard, which is one of the more favorable systems in the country for accident victims. Under this rule, you can still recover compensation even if you are found to be partially at fault for the crash. Your damages will be reduced by whatever percentage of responsibility is assigned to you, but you are not barred from recovery at any threshold.
For example, if your total damages are valued at $500,000 and you are found 10% responsible, your recovery would be reduced to $450,000. The insurance company knows this and may try to inflate your share of fault as a way to lower what they have to pay. A skilled attorney from Caruso Law Offices can push back against these allegations and work to make sure you are not assigned more blame than you deserve.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire an Uber Accident Lawyer in Albuquerque, NM?
Caruso Law Offices works on a contingency fee basis, which means you will not pay any upfront costs or hourly rates to hire us. Instead, attorney’s fees are only collected if we successfully recover compensation for you. At that point, you will pay a percentage of your settlement or verdict amount as outlined in the agreement you sign at the beginning of the process.
This structure makes it possible for anyone to hire an experienced Uber accident attorney in Albuquerque regardless of their current financial situation. It also means that we are personally invested in maximizing the value of your case, because our fee depends on the result we achieve for you.
How Much Time Do I Have To File an Uber Accident Lawsuit in New Mexico?
In most circumstances, New Mexico’s statute of limitations gives you three years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim. If you do not take legal action within that window, you will almost certainly lose the right to pursue compensation altogether.
While three years might seem like plenty of time, the reality is that evidence in these cases can deteriorate quickly. There are also some exceptions that change the amount of time you have, based on the facts of your case. Contact Caruso Law Offices as soon as possible so our legal team can begin preserving evidence and building your case while the details are still fresh.
Why Are Uber Vehicles at Increased Accident Risk?
According to a study done by the Becker Friedman Institute, there’s been a three percent rise in traffic accidents since the popularity explosion of rideshare vehicles. Driver error or negligence is the most common cause of Uber accidents.
Uber drivers are often fatigued because they drive long shifts or drive as a second job. Many are inexperienced drivers who attend college during the day and drive for Uber at night. Using an app for seeking passengers and navigating through GPS also causes driver distraction.
Your Albuquerque Uber Accident attorney from Caruso Law Offices will document evidence of liability to make a compelling claim for compensation.
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Call Our Albuquerque Uber Accident Lawyer Today
Don’t take on the stress of an Uber accident claim without skilled legal representation. Call our Uber accident lawyer in Albuquerque today so we can begin strategizing your claim during a free evaluation of your case. Then, pay nothing until we recover a settlement or court award for your damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering compensation.