Five Steps You Should Take After A Car Crash in An Uber or Lyft

A car accident can happen at any moment and can have a lasting impact on your life. Even though you don’t know when an accident is coming, it’s important to know what to do if one happens, because failing to take the right steps after a car accident can hurt your chances of getting the legal remedy you deserve.

With the popularity of ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft the chances you’re involved in a collision with one of these services is only increasing, and they have special legal complications you need to consider. Take a look at our helpful reader’s guide to the five steps you should take after a car crash in an Uber or Lyft.  A New Jersey car accident attorney is vital to helping get the justice you deserve.

Call the Police

If you’re in a crash that seems minor you may think calling the police is too much trouble, but it’s not uncommon for serious injuries resulting from the crash to be found after the fact. You need to call the police so that the incident is documented with them, otherwise, you might have trouble proving that the accident happened.

When the police arrive, it’s especially important that you describe any pain or discomfort you feel after the accident clearly and thoroughly so that the police create a record of it in the accident report. Even if the injury seems minor you want to mention it because it can sometimes take weeks for symptoms to develop.

Get Medical Care

If you’re injured in an accident you want to get medical attention as soon as you can. Keep in mind that it can take some time for symptoms to develop, so you’ll want to pay attention to any pains that get worse following an accident.

Even if you don’t think you need to go to an emergency room, it’s important to seek out medical care as soon as possible because your regular physician might not be able to treat you after a car accident and it can take a long time to find appropriate care.

Gather Evidence

You don’t want to rely on the police report to include all the evidence of the accident. Only you can ensure that the accident is documented as thoroughly as it should be to support your injury claim.

Some basic things you want to be sure to document are to take photos of the crash scene, the damage to the vehicles, their positions, and any injuries you have. You’ll also want to get the other driver’s contact information and insurance information, as well as the make and model number of their car.

Know What to Tell Insurance

New Jersey is a no-fault state, meaning that medical costs are the responsibility of your insurance, regardless of the details of the accident or who was at fault. Dealing with insurance can be a lengthy process so you want to get it started as soon as possible.

While you do need to contact your insurance (and only your own insurance, ridesharing insurers have been known to contact victims they don’t cover to get statements), the only information you need to give them is that you were in an accident and that you need to open a medical claim. You don’t need to give them a detailed statement that includes details like fault or injuries, these could hurt your claim if you say the wrong thing.

Hire the Right Attorney

Ridesharing services are still new, and the laws governing them are still being hammered out. That means it can be difficult to find a lawyer that specializes in claims involving ridesharing accidents. However, the right attorney with experience handling hundreds of car accident claims will have valuable insight into handling these rideshare claims and will have previously handled the challenges posed by cases that involve multiple parties and insurers the way a ridesharing case might.

Taking these five steps can be the difference between a long ordeal and getting the NJ personal injury claim you need to get your life back to normal after a ridesharing car crash.