Danville Rideshare Accident Lawyers
Every day, thousands of Illini use Uber, Lyft, and other ridesharing companies. To deal with increased demand, many companies have watered down their hiring standards in an effort to recruit drivers. Even still, many ridesharing operators have full-time jobs elsewhere, and they’re tired when they pick up passengers. For the same reason, many ridesharing operators pick up fares in areas of town where they don’t know their way around. As a result, they over-rely on GPS navigation devices. These two things cause a significant number of accidents, as outlined below.
The experienced Danville rideshare accident lawyers at Patel Law routinely handle car crash matters in Vermilion County and nearby jurisdictions. We know all the evidentiary and procedural rules, including both the written and unwritten rules. This familiarity helps us obtain maximum compensation for your serious injuries. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.
First Party Liability
We mentioned fatigue and distraction above. These driver impairments are two of the leading causes of ridesharing accidents in Illinois.
Most ridesharing operators would never think of having a few drinks before they start picking up passengers. Yet most ridesharing operators have no problem working a full day and then driving at night.
Alcohol and fatigue have the same effect on the body and brain. Driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours is like driving with a .05 BAC level. That’s above the legal limit for commercial drivers in Illinois. There’s another connection as well. Neither condition has a quick fix. Only time cures alcohol intoxication, and only sleep cures fatigue.
On a related note, driving while using a hands-free GPS device is the same as driving drunk. These gadgets are visually and cognitively distracting. Users take their eyes off the road and their minds off driving. Furthermore, hands-free devices often give drivers a false sense of security, so they’re more prone to take risky chances. Finally, there’s a latency period. After drivers use a gadget, several seconds pass before they fully re-engage with driving.
These kinds of driver impairment could involve the ordinary negligence doctrine or the negligence per se rule. Ordinary negligence is basically a lack of care. Commercial operators, like ridesharing operators, have a very high duty of care in Illinois. If a tortfeasor (negligent driver) violates a safety law, a Danville rideshare accident lawyer could apply the negligence per se rule and hold the tortfeasor liable for damages as a matter of law.
Third-Party Liability
Ridesharing companies are frequently responsible for ridesharing accidents, at least financially. The respondeat superior rule applies if:
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Employee: For tax and other purposes, most ridesharing operators are independent contractors. But for negligence purposes, these individuals are employees, since the company controls the drivers to a certain extent.
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Scope of Employment: Any act that benefits the employer in any way is within the scope of employment. Drivers who are deadheading (driving aimlessly waiting for fares) are acting within the scope of employment. The employer benefits because it has drivers at the ready.
Additionally, the crash must be a foreseeable result of the employer/employee relationship. A car wreck is a foreseeable consequence of driving a car.
Third-party liability is important in these cases. Most personal auto insurance policies don’t cover commercial losses. So, many ridesharing operators are effectively uninsured.
Reach Out to a Thorough Vermilion County Lawyer
Injury victims are often entitled to substantial compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced rideshare accident attorney in Danville, contact Patel Law, P.C. You have a limited amount of time to act.
