Houston Uber Accident Lawyer

That answer can depend on details you probably were not thinking about when you got into the car, including whether the Uber driver had accepted your ride and whether another driver contributed to the crash.

Pierce Skrabanek is a Houston-based personal injury firm with more than three decades of combined experience handling serious vehicle accident cases. We’ve recovered more than $500 million for clients, including significant verdicts and settlements in motor vehicle cases.

If you were injured as an Uber passenger or were hit by an Uber driver, a Houston Uber accident lawyer at Pierce Skrabanek can determine which insurance policies apply and pursue the people and companies responsible for your injuries.

Call (832) 690-7000 for a free consultation. You pay no attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Why Are Uber Accident Claims Different From Other Houston Car Accidents?

After an ordinary car accident, the starting point is usually the drivers and their auto insurance policies.

An Uber accident adds another question: What was the Uber driver doing in the app when the crash happened?

The answer can affect which insurance coverage is available.

An Uber driver might be:

• Driving for personal reasons with the Uber app turned off;
• Logged into the app and waiting for a ride request;
• On the way to pick up a passenger; or
• Transporting a passenger.

That distinction becomes particularly important after a serious injury.

Suppose you are riding in an Uber on I-45 when your driver rear-ends stopped traffic. There is already an accepted trip in the app, so the insurance situation is different from a crash caused by the same driver while logged in and waiting for someone to request a ride.

There can also be more than one driver at fault. If another vehicle changes lanes into your Uber on the Southwest Freeway, the investigation may involve that driver's insurance as well as coverage associated with the Uber trip.

As a passenger, you could find yourself receiving calls from insurance companies for drivers whose dispute over fault has nothing to do with anything you did.

How Does Uber Insurance Work After a Houston Accident?

Uber maintains insurance for rideshare activity, but the amount and type of coverage depend on the driver's status at the time of the accident.

Uber currently publishes these coverage levels for rideshare drivers.

The existence of a $1 million policy does not mean an injured passenger automatically receives $1 million. Insurance limits establish how much coverage is potentially available under a policy. The value of an injury claim depends on factors such as fault, the injuries involved, medical treatment, lost income, and the long-term effects of the accident.

There can also be questions about uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage when another driver caused the crash but does not have enough insurance. Uber states that these coverages vary by state and circumstances.

The driver's app status therefore becomes an important piece of evidence. Trip records and other electronic information can help establish whether the driver was waiting for a request, heading to a pickup, or carrying a passenger when the collision occurred.

Who Can Be Held Liable for an Uber Accident in Houston?

The Uber driver is not automatically the only person responsible for the accident.

Consider a crash involving an Uber passenger near the Galleria. The Uber driver could have been looking at the app while changing lanes. Another motorist could have been speeding and struck the Uber from behind. A vehicle defect could also have contributed to the collision.

Depending on what happened, a claim could involve:

• The Uber driver for speeding, distracted driving, an unsafe lane change, running a red light, or another negligent action;
• Another driver who caused or contributed to the collision;
• More than one driver when responsibility is shared;
• A vehicle or component manufacturer when a defect contributed to the crash or injuries; or
• Another business or employer when its employee caused the collision while working.

Insurance coverage associated with Uber can also become part of the claim depending on the driver's app status. A Houston Uber accident attorney can investigate each driver's actions rather than relying on one insurance company's version of events.

That can be especially important for an injured Uber passenger. If the Uber driver and another motorist each insist the other caused the crash, their disagreement does not mean the passenger should be left paying the medical bills.

What Are Common Causes of Uber Accidents in Houston?

Driving for Uber requires a driver to navigate traffic while also using a phone-based platform for ride requests, navigation, pickups, and drop-offs.

Houston adds its own challenges. Drivers regularly move between high-speed freeways, frontage roads, multilane intersections, congested entertainment districts, airport terminals, and unfamiliar neighborhoods.

Common causes of Uber crashes include:

• Distracted driving: Looking at navigation, ride information, messages, or other information on a phone can take a driver's attention away from traffic.
• Unsafe pickups and drop-offs: A driver may stop abruptly or choose an unsafe location while trying to get close to a passenger's destination.
• Speeding: Driving too fast reduces the time available to react when Houston freeway traffic suddenly slows.
• Unsafe lane changes: Missing an exit or trying to reach a pickup location can lead to sudden lane changes.
• Driver fatigue: Rideshare drivers may work long or late hours, sometimes in addition to another job.
• Following too closely: Heavy traffic can quickly turn into stopped traffic on roads such as I-45, I-10, US-59/I-69, and the 610 Loop.
• Running red lights or stop signs: Intersection crashes can cause serious injuries to passengers and people in other vehicles.
• Impaired driving: Alcohol or drug impairment can affect reaction time, judgment, and vehicle control.

How Houston Uber Accident Lawyers Investigate What Caused a Crash

An Uber accident creates evidence that may not exist in a typical car accident.

The trip itself can generate electronic records showing when the ride was requested, when the driver accepted it, where the pickup occurred, and whether the trip was underway at the time of the collision.

An investigation can also include:

• Police crash reports;
• Photographs of the vehicles and collision site;
• Dashcam footage;
• Surveillance video from nearby businesses;
• Witness statements;
• Vehicle damage;
• Driver phone records when relevant;
• Medical records; and
• Information identifying applicable insurance policies.

Houston's location can matter too. A collision outside a restaurant in Midtown or a hotel near the Galleria may have been captured by security cameras. A freeway crash could involve dashcam footage from another vehicle. An accident at George Bush Intercontinental Airport or Hobby Airport can involve additional witnesses or video sources.

Pierce Skrabanek has experience taking disputed vehicle accident cases to trial. In one case, Paul Skrabanek and Mike Pierce represented an injured motorist when fault was contested. After a week-long trial, a Harris County jury returned a unanimous $639,000 verdict for the client.

When an insurance company disputes how a rideshare collision occurred, those details can become central to proving who was responsible.

What Injuries Can Happen in a Houston Uber Accident?

An Uber passenger may have little warning before a collision. You are sitting in the back seat, perhaps looking at your phone or talking with another passenger, when the vehicle is hit from the side, rear-ended, or forced into another car.

Depending on the force and direction of the impact, injuries can include:

• Traumatic brain injuries and concussions;
• Neck and back injuries;
• Spinal cord injuries;
• Broken bones;
• Knee, shoulder, and joint injuries;
• Internal bleeding and organ damage;
• Facial injuries and scarring; and
• Fatal injuries.

The effects of an injury can also become clearer after the initial emergency treatment. A head injury can interfere with concentration or memory. A back injury can make sitting through a full workday difficult. A fracture can keep someone who works on their feet from returning to their job for months.

Medical records document the diagnosis and treatment. A claim also needs to account for how the injury has affected the person's ability to work, care for family, and return to their usual activities.

How Does Texas's Comparative Negligence Law Affect an Uber Accident Claim?

Texas uses a modified comparative responsibility system. Under Texas law, an injured person generally cannot recover damages when their percentage of responsibility is greater than 50%. When they are 50% or less responsible, their recovery is reduced by their percentage of responsibility.

For example, if a driver has $100,000 in damages but is found 20% responsible for the crash, the recoverable amount would be reduced to $80,000.

For an Uber passenger, the situation can look very different. You may have been sitting in the back seat with no control over either vehicle when the collision occurred. Yet the Uber driver and another motorist can still disagree about which of them caused the crash.

That dispute can affect which insurer ultimately pays and how responsibility is divided between the drivers. A Houston Uber accident attorney can investigate the collision independently rather than leaving the determination of fault entirely to the insurance companies involved.

What Compensation Is Available After a Houston Uber Accident?

The cost of an Uber accident depends on what the injuries prevent you from doing afterward.

A broken ankle can keep someone who works in a restaurant, hospital, warehouse, or construction job off their feet. A shoulder injury can affect someone whose work requires lifting. A traumatic brain injury can interfere with concentration, memory, and the ability to perform a job that is physically unaffected by the crash.

Compensation can address losses such as:

• Medical treatment: Emergency care, surgery, rehabilitation, medication, therapy, and future treatment related to the injuries.
• Time away from work: Income lost during treatment and recovery.
• Reduced earning capacity: Serious or permanent injuries can affect the type or amount of work someone can perform in the future.
• Physical pain and limitations: Injuries can interfere with mobility, sleep, exercise, childcare, household responsibilities, and other parts of daily life.
• Disfigurement or impairment: Permanent scarring, loss of function, or physical impairment can be considered separately.
• Property damage: Someone struck by an Uber while driving their own vehicle can also have a property damage claim.
• Wrongful death damages: When a rideshare collision is fatal, qualifying family members can pursue damages available under Texas law.

The amount of Uber insurance available does not determine the value of these losses. The injuries and their consequences do.

If an Uber crash has put you out of work, left you facing ongoing medical treatment, or seriously injured someone in your family, call Pierce Skrabanek at (832) 690-7000. Our Houston attorneys can determine which insurance policies apply and what losses need to be included in your claim.

What Should You Save After an Uber Accident?

You may have been taken from the crash scene by ambulance or been too shaken up to think about collecting evidence. That does not prevent you from pursuing a claim.

One useful source of information may already be on your phone: the Uber trip itself.

If you still have access to it, save or screenshot:

• The trip receipt;
• Driver and vehicle information;
• Pickup and destination information;
• The route shown in the app; and
• Messages or notifications from Uber about the trip or accident.

Also keep any police crash information and communications you receive from Uber or an insurance company.

There is no need to determine which policy applies before speaking with an attorney. Trip records and other evidence can be used to establish the driver's status when the collision occurred.

What If Uber or an Insurance Company Contacts You After the Accident?

You may hear from an insurance adjuster soon after the crash. You could also receive an email or call concerning the Uber trip, particularly if the accident was reported through the app.

At that point, you may still be sore, waiting for test results, missing work, or unsure how serious your injuries will become. Yet the person contacting you may want details about the collision, your injuries, or what you remember.

You do not have to figure out the insurance claim during that first conversation.

Be particularly careful if you are asked to:

• Give a recorded statement about how the crash happened;
• Describe the full extent of your injuries before you know your diagnosis or prognosis;
• Sign a medical authorization;
• Accept a settlement or sign a release; or
• Agree with a version of the accident that places responsibility on you or another driver.

An early settlement can also be difficult to evaluate when treatment is still underway. A person who initially expects a neck or back injury to resolve may later need injections, surgery, physical therapy, or additional time away from work. Once a claim has been settled and a release signed, you generally cannot return later and ask for additional compensation because your injuries turned out to be more serious.

There may also be multiple insurance companies involved in a Houston Uber accident. The Uber driver's personal insurer, insurance associated with the Uber trip, and another driver's carrier may each have an interest in determining who pays.

Save the adjuster's name, company, phone number, claim number, and any emails or letters you receive. You can then have an attorney determine which insurer is involved and respond on your behalf.

Pierce Skrabanek can handle those communications so you are not trying to navigate competing insurance claims while you are still recovering.

How Houston Uber Accident Attorneys Use App Data and Other Evidence

A police report can provide important information about a Houston crash, but an Uber claim can require records beyond the report.

App and trip data can help establish whether the driver was logged in, had accepted a ride, was traveling to the pickup location, or had a passenger in the vehicle. That information can become important when identifying available insurance coverage.

Other evidence can help answer different questions. Dashcam footage can show how the collision happened. Medical records connect injuries to the crash. Employment records can document missed work. Witnesses can provide an independent account when drivers disagree about fault.

Pierce Skrabanek can also deal directly with the insurance companies involved. That can be particularly helpful when an injured passenger is caught between an Uber driver, another motorist, and multiple insurers pointing at one another.

What Should You Look for in a Houston Uber Accident Law Firm?

A rideshare case can start as an insurance claim and become a lawsuit when fault, coverage, or the extent of the injuries is disputed. The attorneys handling the case need to be prepared for both.

Pierce Skrabanek is headquartered in Houston, and our attorneys bring more than 30 years of combined experience representing people injured in serious accidents throughout Texas. We have recovered more than $500 million for our clients.

Our motor vehicle case results include a $2 million recovery, a $639,000 unanimous Harris County jury verdict, and a $600,000 verdict that was upheld on appeal.

Having an attorney can also affect the outcome of an injury claim. In a nationwide Martindale-Nolo Research survey, more than 9 out of 10 people who hired a personal injury lawyer received a settlement or award, compared with about half of those who handled their claims themselves. Represented claimants also reported substantially higher average compensation, although the outcome of any individual case depends on its facts.

Our attorneys investigate the accident, identify the available insurance coverage, document the injuries and financial losses, negotiate with insurers, and prepare the case for trial when necessary.