rideshare | Dolan Law Firm

Out Of Tragedy Comes Change

This week’s article will focus on the trial and conviction of former Uber driver, Syed Abid Muzaffar, for the charge of vehicular manslaughter arising out of the December 31, 2013, death of 7-year-old Sophia Liu as she was walking home from her grandmother’s house with her mother Huan, and brother, Anthony. As they were lawfully crossing Polk while traveling east on Ellis, Muzaffar turned right crushing Sophia and catastrophically injuring Huan and Anthony. Huan testified that just before being run-down she saw Muzzafar looking down at his cell phone, presumably checking his Uber app. At the time of Sophia’s death Uber first claimed that Muzzafar was not acting as an Uber driver then, later, admitted that he had the app open but sought to continue to distance themselves from the tragedy by saying that he had no passenger onboard.

Rideshare And Food Delivery Driver Car Crash Insurance/Prop 213 Questions Answered

Ray from the Sunset District writes, “I deliver meals for one of the app food companies. Last week, my car was in the shop so I was driving my girlfriend’s new motorcycle when a driver for national package delivery service company pulled out of a driveway without looking and drove right into my path. We collided and I had to go to the hospital for a broken collar bone and some fractured ribs.

The driver claimed I was speeding. At most, I was going slightly over the speed. The driver was not injured but the rear of his van was smashed. His company’s insurance company is demanding I pay for the repair costs. My girlfriend’s motorcycle was a total loss. I have $16,000 in hospital bills.

I found out after the crash that my girlfriend did not have motorcycle insurance. She owns another motorcycle that is insured but hadn’t yet put her new bike on the policy. I have a policy for my car but don’t know if that helps. I asked about my situation on a message board for ride share drivers. One person said I don’t have any coverage under “Prop 213” because the motorcycle was not insured. Another person said I must not tell my insurance company I was delivering meals. What’s the real answer? Aren’t all app drivers covered by the company’s insurance?”

Can I Sue & Recover Damages From Uber Or Lyft For My Injury?

How To Sue and Get Justice For Uber And Lyft Injured Passengers and Others

When they first began operating, Uber and Lyft failed to carry adequate insurance coverage for their drivers and were not governed by basic safety regulations applicable to other types of paid transportation networks, such as taxis. Under the law, Uber, Lyft and other such application-based, rideshare carriers are called Transportation Network Carriers “TNC.”

How Uber Passengers Injured By Another Driver Can Obtain Damages

Dolan Law Firm - nation's leading Uber car accident attorneys

This week’s question comes from Phillip B. in Mountain View who asks, “My girlfriend was riding in an Uber vehicle in Southern California when the car was hit by a truck that was changing lanes. The Uber driver did nothing to cause the accident. The truck never stopped and no one got a license plate number or other identifying information. She was hurt in the collision, has racked up medical bills and missed time from work. She is going to have a tough recovery time. At the time of the collision she was riding with a friend who had the Uber account. Can she seek compensation for what happened to her and if so, from who?”

Ridesharing Also Bad For Drivers

While I too am not a big fan of waiting for taxis, I would rather wait than risk my safety and waive my legal rights by riding in one of these cars.

Read Sidecar and Lyft’s terms of service. In my opinion they are detestable. In Sidecar’s terms, in at least 4 places, they say they will bear no responsibility for your injury or death. This is true even if you are attacked or raped by the driver, injured because of defective maintenance or if the driver is high or drunk.

Danger To Passengers Of Using Lyft

Julie J. From Russian Hill asks, “I have seen these pink mustache cars driving around. I checked it out and it is called Lyft, a smart phone based app that lets people use their own cars to act like a taxi. I took a ride with a young guy and then my phone asked me to make a “donation” for the ride, suggesting an amount, and asked me to rate the service. What is the legality of this service and how are they different than taxis?”