Driving for Uber in Chicago gives you freedom, but an accident can change everything in a moment. How will you pay your medical bills? What about the time you can’t work and earn money? How do you deal with insurance companies and Uber itself?
These are serious concerns, but a Chicago Uber accident lawyer can review your options and guide you on what to do next.
LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers understands your challenges and can help you get the compensation you deserve. Call us at (312) 767-7950 or contact us online for a free, confidential consultation.
Chicago Uber Accident Guide for Drivers
- Why Choose LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers?
- What To Do After Your Chicago Uber Crash
- Your Personal Car Insurance May Not Cover You
- Understanding Insurance for Uber Drivers in Chicago
- What Money Can an Injured Chicago Uber Driver Recover?
- How a Chicago Rideshare Accident Lawyer Can Help You
- Frequently Asked Questions for Chicago Uber Drivers
- Call LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation
Why Choose LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers?
If you’re injured in Chicago while driving for Uber, you need a law firm that truly understands your situation. LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers was created to help rideshare drivers just like you.
Focus on Rideshare Drivers
Helping injured Uber and Lyft drivers is what we do. We aren’t a general personal injury firm that takes the occasional rideshare case. Our team of Chicago rideshare accident attorneys is deeply familiar with Uber’s insurance policies and companies and their tactics.
We Know Chicago
Our office is here in Chicago. We know the streets where accidents happen, whether North Lakeshore Drive, State Street, or 31st. We have a deep understanding of the local courts and Illinois’ judicial system.
Client-Focused Strategy
We know you may be worried about paying bills, getting your car fixed, dealing with Uber, and your physical recovery. We approach each case with compassion and a commitment to bringing you the resources you need to move forward.
Call us today for free at (312) 767-7950 or contact us online.
What To Do After Your Chicago Uber Crash
If you have already taken care of your health, then you’re on the right track. Here are other key things to do to protect your rights and your potential claim:
- Report the accident to Uber: Use the Uber app to report the crash as soon as possible. Provide the basic facts, but avoid guessing about fault or minimizing your injuries.
- Report to your personal insurance: You likely need to report the accident to your own insurer, too. If asked, be honest that you were driving for Uber, but be careful what you say.
- Don’t give a recorded statement: Insurance adjusters (from any company involved) will likely ask for a recorded statement. Politely decline until you have spoken with a lawyer. Adjusters are trained to ask questions that might hurt your claim later.
- Contact a Chicago rideshare accident lawyer: The sooner you talk to an attorney at LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers, the better. We can guide you through the process, protect your rights, and start working on your claim immediately.
- Keep records of everything: Start a file. Keep all medical bills, receipts for prescriptions or medical devices, car repair estimates, and any communication from insurance companies or Uber. Track the days and hours you could not drive due to your injuries or car damage.
Your Personal Car Insurance May Not Cover You
Many Uber drivers are shocked when their own car insurance company denies their claim after an accident that happened while the app was on. Why does this happen?
Most standard personal auto insurance policies have a commercial use exclusion or livery exclusion. This means the policy doesn’t cover accidents that happen while the vehicle is being used to transport people or goods for a fee. Driving for Uber or Lyft is considered a commercial use.
So, even if the Uber app was just on and you were waiting for a request, your personal insurer might deny coverage for your injuries or car damage based on this exclusion.
This exclusion is a major reason navigating insurance after a rideshare accident is tricky. If your insurance company denied your claim because you were driving for Uber, talk to an Uber accident lawyer to find out which steps to take next.
Hurt while driving for Uber in Chicago? Get legal help from attorneys who only represent rideshare drivers. Free consults. Call now!
Understanding Insurance for Uber Drivers in Chicago
Uber provides insurance coverage for its drivers, but it’s not always active, and the coverage amount changes. Coverage depends on what you did related to the Uber app when the accident happened.
App Is Off
When the Uber app is off, you’re driving your car for personal reasons. If you have an accident, Uber’s insurance doesn’t provide coverage. You must rely entirely on your own personal car insurance policy.
App Is On, Waiting for a Ride Request
If you turned the Uber app on and were available to accept rides, but you hadn’t accepted one yet, your personal car insurance is usually still considered primary. However, many personal policies will deny coverage if they find out you were available for commercial work.
If your personal insurance company denies your claim, Uber will provide limited liability insurance coverage. This pays for injuries or damage you cause to other people if you are at fault, up to certain limits.
Importantly, this phase generally does not include coverage for your own injuries or damage to your car.
Accepted a Ride, Driving To Pick Up a Rider, Or Transporting a Passenger
Once you accept a ride request and are driving to the passenger’s location, Uber’s insurance coverage increases significantly. This covers injuries or damage you cause to others if you are at fault.
Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) bodily injury coverage can pay for your injuries and your passengers’ injuries if the driver who caused the accident has no insurance or not enough insurance to cover the damages. It can also apply to hit-and-run accidents.
Contingent collision and comprehensive coverage is for damage to your car, regardless of fault.
What Money Can an Injured Chicago Uber Driver Recover?
If you were injured in an Uber accident in Chicago caused by someone else's negligence (or covered by UM/UIM insurance), you may be able to recover money for your losses.
A Chicago Uber accident attorney at LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers can calculate your losses and fight to get you full and fair compensation for everything you have lost.
This can include money for:
- Medical bills: This covers all medical costs from the accident, including ambulance, hospital, doctors, surgery, physical therapy, medication, and medical equipment. It includes future medical care, too.
- Lost wages: You can seek compensation for the income you lost while you were recovering from your injuries or while your car was being repaired. You can also be compensated for lost future earning capacity if your injuries prevent you from driving or working in the future.
- Pain and suffering: You can be compensated for things like chronic pain, anxiety, depression, scarring, disfigurement, and the general hardship the accident caused in your life.
- Vehicle damage: You can recover the cost of repairing your car. If the car is totaled, you can recover its fair market value right before the crash. You might also be able to get money for a rental car while yours is being fixed or until you get a settlement for a totaled car.
How a Chicago Rideshare Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Insurance companies have teams of adjusters and lawyers working to protect their interests, not yours. Having a Chicago Uber accident attorney on your side levels the playing field.
Here is what LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers can do for you.
- Investigate: Your lawyer will gather all the important evidence, including the police report, talk to witnesses, obtain photos or videos of the scene and vehicles, and collect your medical records and bills.
- Handle all insurance communications: Your lawyer will handle all communications with your personal insurance company, Uber’s insurance representatives, and the other driver's insurance company.
- Determine applicable insurance coverage: Your Chicago rideshare accident lawyer will figure out exactly which insurance policies apply based on your Uber driver status at the time of the crash.
- Calculate damages: They’ll work with you and potentially medical or financial professionals to determine the full extent of your losses.
- Negotiate: Armed with evidence and a full accounting of your damages, your lawyer will negotiate firmly with the insurance companies to reach a fair settlement that covers your losses.
- File a lawsuit if necessary: Most cases settle out of court. However, if the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, your Uber accident lawyer will be prepared to file a lawsuit and represent you in court to pursue the compensation you deserve.
With LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers on your side, you can focus on your recovery while your attorney handles the complex legal and insurance battles.
Frequently Asked Questions for Chicago Uber Drivers
Here are answers to some common questions Uber drivers have after being injured in a Chicago accident.
I Was Hurt Driving for Uber in Chicago, but I Think the Accident Might Have Been Partly My Fault. Can I Still Get Compensation?
Illinois uses a modified comparative negligence rule. This means you can still recover money for your injuries even if you were partly at fault, as long as you were not 50 percent or more responsible for the accident.
If you were less than 50 percent at fault, the amount of money you can recover will be reduced by your percentage of fault.
Do not assume you cannot get help just because you think you might share some blame.
How Long Will It Take To Resolve My Chicago Uber Accident Claim?
There is no single answer to how long your case will take. The time frame can vary a lot depending on several factors.
These include:
- How severe your injuries are and how long your medical treatment lasts
- How complex the accident was and whether the fault is disputed
- How cooperative the insurance companies are
- Whether a lawsuit needs to be filed
Simple cases with clear fault and minor injuries might settle in a few months. More complex cases involving serious injuries, disputes over fault, or uncooperative insurers can take much longer, sometimes over a year or more, especially if the case goes to court.
My Personal Car Insurance Denied My Claim Because I Was Driving for Uber. What Should I Do?
Most personal auto insurance policies exclude coverage for accidents that happen while driving for commercial purposes, like driving for Uber. If your insurer denied your claim based on this commercial use exclusion, don’t give up.
This denial is often the trigger for looking at other potential sources of coverage. Depending on your status when the accident happened and who was at fault, you might have claims under Uber's insurance policies or against the at-fault driver's insurance.
Contact a lawyer who handles rideshare accidents immediately. They can review the denial letter from your insurer, analyze your situation under Uber's policies, and determine the best path forward to pursue compensation for your injuries and damages.
How Do I Prove My Lost Income as an Uber Driver if My Earnings Change From Week to Week?
Proving lost income when you work as a gig driver can seem tricky, but it’s definitely possible. Insurance companies might try to downplay your losses because your income is not a fixed salary.
However, the experienced Chicago rideshare accident attorneys at LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers know how to demonstrate your lost earnings.
We typically gather your earnings statements from Uber (and Lyft, if you drive for them too) for several months or even a year before the accident. This helps establish an average weekly or monthly income.
We’ll look at your driving history, how many hours you usually worked, and your typical earnings during those periods. We can use this data to project the income you likely would have earned during the time you were unable to drive due to your injuries or because your car was being repaired.
Call LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers Today for a Free Consultation
Chicago Uber drivers who are involved in an accident and sustain injuries face a difficult situation. You may be dealing with medical recovery, lost income, complex insurance rules, and worries about your ability to keep earning money.
LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers is here to help Chicago Uber drivers navigate these challenges. We understand the insurance policies, know how to calculate your lost income as a gig worker, and will fight to get you the maximum compensation possible for your injuries and other losses.
Call Chicago rideshare accident attorneys at LegalRideshare Injury Lawyers today at (312) 767-7950 for a free, confidential consultation, or contact us online.