Uber, Lyft and other ridesharing companies changed the way people get from place to place. In cities where the use of public transit or hailing cabs was once the norm, now commuters and party-goers had another, more convenient, and often less expensive option: Uber. With the tap of an app, you can hire your own personal driver for a nominal fee.
Uber revolutionized the way people travel, causing taxicab drivers to feel outraged over their loss of fares due to the rising competition. However, although Uber does screen its contract-working drivers’ driving records, even a driver with the most pristine background could still become involved in an accident due to gross negligence.
If you were injured in a crash and want to discuss your legal rights with an Uber Accident Lawyer in Hamilton, contact The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. to learn more about your options as an accident victim.
Ridesharing: the Good and the Bad
While using rideshare apps is convenient and economical, taking an Uber is risky to customers. When your driver arrives, you have no way of knowing whether or not they drive in a defensive and safe manner until you are in the vehicle with them and at their mercy—and all it takes for an Injury Crash or even a Fatal Crash to take place in one moment of negligence on the driver’s behalf.
Also, hundreds of cases of assault—both physical assault and sexual assault—as well as incidences of rideshare drivers committing homicide upon their customers have been alleged since rideshare companies came into being. Uber customers may be sacrificing safety for convenience when they use ridesharing apps.
Current Research on Uber Accidents
The latest research on rideshare accident deaths is spotty and conflicting. A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology showed that traffic accident deaths were not associated with rideshare services.
However, a 2019 working paper from out of the University of Chicago by Hochberg, Barrios, and Yi shows something quite different: the researchers analyzed fatal traffic accident data made available by the federal government and found that since ridesharing companies first began offering their services in 2010, traffic accident deaths have been on the increase, rising by around 3 percentage points each year since then.
The research team stated they believed this uptick in accident fatalities could be due to Uber, Lyft & similar companies simply leading to more cars active on the roadways at any given time.
Hamilton Uber Accident Attorneys
If you need an Uber Accident Lawyer in Hamilton, The Law Offices of Greg Prosmushkin, P.C. can help you file a claim in civil court.
Injury victims are qualified to seek monetary compensation for the pain and suffering they were forced to endure through no fault of their own, and our attorneys can help you pursue the recovery of damages.
Damages are paid out in the form of a cash award and are calculated by the courts and given a dollar amount based on circumstances related to the accident such as the extent of injury and cost of injury-related medical treatment. Contact Us Today for a Free Case Evaluation with an Uber accident legal specialist.