Getting hurt in an Uber accident in Olympia, WA, can leave you with many unanswered questions. Who’s to blame? Is it the driver, Uber, or someone else entirely? How can you get them to pay for the harm you’ve suffered? Where can you turn for the help you need?

Freeman Law Firm, Inc. has the answers you’re looking for. We’re committed to providing both compassionate counsel and fierce advocacy to accident victims in Olympia and across Washington State. Our Olympia Uber accident lawyers will demand the money you deserve for your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering, and more, and we’ll do it at no upfront cost to you. Instead, you only pay us if and when we win your case.

Your story should be heard. Contact us today at (360) 338-6886 for a free consultation with one of our car accident attorneys, and let us be the ones to tell it, so that you can get justice and focus on healing and rebuilding your life.

Who Is Liable for an Uber Accident?

One of the most confusing aspects of Uber accidents is who can be held responsible. After all, Uber drivers are not employees of the company. Instead, they’re gig workers who work at their own convenience, complicating issues of liability.

Depending on the circumstances, the liable party in your case could be:

The Uber driver
Uber’s insurance department
Other drivers or road users
A vehicle owner, including a commercial vehicle company
Private property owners
A government entity, if poor road maintenance or design played a role

Uber accident cases can involve multiple parties that may be at fault for a single accident. Your Uber accident lawyer's job is to investigate what happened, determine who's to blame, and hold them all accountable for the harm they caused you.

How Uber Insurance Works in Washington State

Washington State follows a traditional fault-based auto insurance system. Every driver in the state has to be able to pay for any injuries and property damage that other people suffer in accidents the driver causes. The most common way to meet this requirement is to carry liability insurance that will pay for at least:$25,000 for one person’s injuries or death

$50,000 for two or more people’s injuries or death
$10,000 for property damage

However, Washington also requires Uber and its drivers to carry much more extensive insurance policies than ordinary cars. However, this insurance coverage is only active in certain circumstances. Here’s how the system works:

The driver's personal auto insurance applies when they are offline. Offline means the driver has the app turned off and is not looking for fares.
More extensive coverage activates when the driver has the app turned on and is ready to accept a fare. This coverage provides at least $50,000 per person and $100,000 per accident for injury or death, and $30,000 for property damage.
Insurance coverage jumps to $1 million when the driver has a fare or is on their way to pick one up. This insurance also provides $100,000 per person and $300,000 per accident in uninsured motorist (UM) coverage as long as there is a paying passenger in the Uber vehicle.

The liability portions of this insurance only apply when the Uber driver is at fault for causing an accident. If another driver hit the Uber you were riding in, that driver’s insurance should cover the cost of your injuries.

What Compensation Can You Recover?

If someone else is to blame for the Uber accident that injured you, that person could owe you compensation for what you suffered as a result. Your Olympia Uber accident attorney can help you pursue money to cover your:

Medical expenses, including for emergency transportation and treatment, surgeries, hospitalization, medications, assistive devices, occupational and physical therapy, and ongoing care
Lost income covering wages, salary, tips, commissions, bonuses, and benefits you could not earn while you were treating your injuries
Reduced earning potential if your injuries have long-term consequences affecting your career
Property damage, or the cost of repairing or replacing any of your possessions that were damaged in the crash
Pain and suffering, or the physical and emotional discomfort your injuries cause you
Emotional distress covering any psychological conditions you develop because of the trauma of the accident
Reduced quality of life for visible scarring, disfigurement, or impairments that affect your ability to live your life as you did before the accident

Washington State Fault Laws That Could Affect Your Uber Accident Case

Two fault rules in Washington State could affect your Uber accident case. One could reduce your compensation if you are to blame for the accident. The other could make it easier to recover maximum compensation if multiple parties are at fault.

Pure Comparative Negligence

Washington State’s pure comparative negligence law may come into play if you were partially to blame for the Uber accident. The good news here is that you can still recover compensation for the percentage of the accident that was not your fault. The potentially bad news, though, is that the compensation you recover will be reduced in proportion to your share of fault.

Here's how this rule works. Let's say you were to try to beat a late yellow light and collide with an Uber vehicle making an unsafe left turn in front of you. You sue the driver, and your case goes to trial. The jury awards you $100,000 but decides you were 20% to blame for the accident. Your final recovery is reduced by that 20%, leaving you with $80,000.

Insurance companies try to use this rule to pressure accident victims to settle for less than they deserve. If someone tries to place the blame on you, contact an Uber accident attorney at Freeman Law Firm in Olympia immediately.

Joint and Several Liability

Washington's joint and several liability rule applies in certain circumstances where multiple people are at fault for someone's injuries. Washington law generally requires each defendant to pay only the percentage of your damages that matches their share of fault, so a defendant found 30% at fault pays 30% of your damages. In some cases, however, one party can be required to cover another's share, protecting you if one defendant cannot fully pay. How this plays out depends heavily on the specific facts of your case and the decisions made along the way, which is one reason having an attorney involved early matters.

What to Do After an Uber Accident in Olympia, WA

You can protect your right to compensation after an Uber accident in Olympia by:

Getting medical attention as soon as possible and telling your treating physician that you’ve been hurt in an Uber accident
Reporting the accident to Uber through its app and to your own insurer if you were a driver rather than a passenger
Being careful about what you say to Uber and other interested parties, including never admitting fault and not accepting a settlement offer without legal guidance
Gathering any evidence about the accident you can, such as copies of your medical bills, the contact info of any witnesses, and a written account of what happened in your own words

Finally, contact an Uber accident attorney in Olympia and bring your evidence with you to the initial meeting.

Why Choose Freeman Law Firm, Inc. As Your Uber Accident Lawyer?

With all the Uber accident lawyers in Olympia, why turn to Freeman Law Firm, Inc. for help? Because we exist to champion the injured. While you take the time to rest and treat your injuries, we can get to work:

Investigating the accident to identify all at-fault parties
Determining what insurance applies, including Uber’s $1 million policy when a driver is carrying a passenger or on the way to pick up a fare
Calculating the full range of compensation you're entitled to so that we can pursue a maximum recovery on your behalf
Communicating with Uber and other companies so that you don’t have to
Filing your claims within Washington State’s three-year statute of limitations to protect your right to compensation
Negotiating aggressively for a fair settlement and taking your case to trial if the other side won’t make one

We will support you throughout your case and never charge you a fee unless we win compensation on your behalf. Our personalized approach means we will stand by you throughout your case and customize our strategy to account for the full range of your losses. Also, our commitment to justice does not end at the courtroom doors. If we win your case, we’ll give back 1% of our attorney’s fees to a charity of your choice. Our goal is that the positive impact we make by securing justice for you will reverberate through our shared community.

Contact Us Today for a Free Consultation

Your story deserves to be heard. Let Freeman Law Firm, Inc. tell it on your behalf. Contact us today at (360) 338-6886 for a free consultation with our Olympia Uber accident attorneys, and let’s discuss your case together.

Olympia Uber Accident Attorneys