Nashville Uber, Lyft, or Taxi Accident Lawyer
In a major city like Nashville, taxis are popular public transportation. As passengers, we expect Uber, Lyft, and taxi drivers to abide by the laws and drive safely while transporting people, but sadly this isn’t always the case. Transportation services get into more accidents than you might think. After a rideshare car crash in Tennessee, our Nashville taxi accident attorneys can help you get the compensation you deserve.
Causes of Uber, Lyft, and Taxi Accidents in Nashville, TN
Transportation service drivers work under significant pressure to meet a certain quota of customers per hour, and don’t always use the safest driving methods to meet their number. These vehicles often weave through traffic, exceed the posted speed limit, and drive recklessly to get customers to destinations on time and pick up new riders.
When a new passenger requests a ride, Uber drivers only have a few minutes to press “accept” before the opportunity goes to a different driver. The need for business pushes Uber drivers to stay connected to their mobile devices so they don’t miss an alert. These driver distractions can lead to rear-end collisions or missed traffic signals, resulting in dangerous crashes. Seatbelt laws in Tennessee don’t make it mandatory for backseat passengers to buckle up in taxis, so when an accident does occur, injuries tend to be serious. If you were seriously injured in an Uber, Lyft, or taxi crash, contact our Nashville car accident lawyers to review your case.
Driving for more than eight hours a day leads to driver fatigue and a slower response time to changing roadway conditions. Taxi services like Uber and Lyft don’t give their employees set schedules – it’s up to employees to work as little or as much as they wish. Many taxi drivers overwork themselves to get higher paychecks, even when it’s not safe to do so. Drowsy driving is a leading cause of transportation service accidents in Tennessee.
Passengers don’t usually expect drivers to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but unfortunately, driver sobriety isn’t the reality. Police have arrested Uber and Lyft drivers for DUI and DWI while on the job, and statistics only seem to be getting worse as more people join the transportation workforce. The number of amateur drivers Uber and Lyft hire continues to rise, bringing accident rates up with it. Contact our Nashville DUI accident attorneys for a free case consultation.
Who is at Fault in a Transportation Service Accident?
Involvement in a taxi accident can be frightening and confusing, because many passengers are unsure of their rights and of who is responsible. Liability can rest with different people depending on who owns and operates the taxi service. Peer-to-peer services such as Uber and Lyft follow different insurance rules than regulated taxicabs. In peer-to-peer services, company insurance is usually secondary to individual driver’s insurance. This means less compensation for injured passengers since they can’t hold the entire company responsible.
There are exceptions, however, when companies hire drivers they know to be amateurs or potentially dangerous. Uber and Lyft only conduct background checks into the last seven years of a driver’s life – making safe hiring questionable. Since peer-to-peer taxi services are a relatively new concept, the laws are still fuzzy concerning liability and compensation for injuries. In any case, if driver negligence caused the accident, the victim or victims have every right to file a claim for compensation of damages against whoever is responsible.
Hire an Expert Personal Injury Attorney in Nashville
Careless and negligent driving behavior is never excusable, especially when it causes injuries. The personal injury attorneys at Larry R. Williams, PLLC, have experience investigating transportation service accidents and can successfully prove a party’s negligence in these situations. Uber, Lyft, and taxi accidents are complex legal cases when it comes to placing fault. You need an expert group of attorneys to defend your case with confidence.
Don’t become a statistic. Learn your rights and fight back when a negligent taxi driver injures you. Larry R. Williams, Jonathan Williams, and their expert team of Nashville personal injury attorneys have years of practice representing complicated accident and negligence cases. To speak with an experienced rideshare injury lawyer that has your best interest at heart, contact us today or call (615) 256-8880 for a free consultation.