In the US alone, more than 3.1 million Uber trips occurred each day from 2017 to 2018. That tallies to a whopping 2.3 billion hailed rides for that entire period.
There’s no doubt that Uber and other ride-sharing services made transportation more convenient. However, there’s also no question that they contribute to increased road accidents. Indeed, researchers say that they led to 2% to 3% more motor vehicle fatalities and fatal crashes.
If you or someone you know has been in such a situation, you may qualify for Uber accident lawsuit loans. These are like loans on your car accident settlement that you can get even before you receive the payout.
In this post, we’ll provide you all the key details about Uber accidents and the lawsuits tied to them. Read on to learn about them and how Uber accident pre settlement loans from Lawsuit Cash Today can help.
Prevalence of Uber Accidents in the US
In December 2019, Uber rolled out its first-ever safety report, covering the years 2017 to 2018. In it, the company said 97 fatal crashes took place during Uber trips within the said period. These accidents led to a staggering 107 total fatalities.
Here’s what’s concerning, though: the report didn’t mention anything about non-fatal accidents. It only shared info about crashes that led to fatalities.
While the report is informative, it appears to be a “downsized” version of Uber accidents. Moreover, the company also pointed out how, every year, over 36,000 fatal car accident cases take place in the US. In this way, the ridesharing app makes it seem that 97 fatal crashes within two years are tiny figures.
It’s not because when you take an Uber trip, you expect to get to your destination safe, sound, and in one piece. It’s much like how a patient expects a doctor to follow a strict standard of care. Otherwise, a medical malpractice case can occur.
Medical malpractice is like an Uber accident in that the latter is also a form of negligence. If the Uber driver caused a road crash and you got injured, it’s your every right to receive compensation. You need to work with an attorney to get your case filed so you can get a fair settlement.
Not All Uber-Related Incidents Are Crashes
As if the high number of road accidents isn’t enough, there are also sexual assault cases tied to Uber. The safety report it issued revealed that there were 3,045 sexual assaults during its trips in 2018. The company also said that there were nine people murdered in 2018 while on an Uber trip.
Now, keep in mind that these figures came from the company’s reporting platform. Moreover, many cases of sexual harassment and assaults often don’t get reported. As such, the actual numbers may be much higher than what Uber divulged.
What to Do After An Uber-Related Accident
After an Uber incident, you should get in touch with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible. This is crucial as Uber’s liability insurance is only secondary. Meaning, Uber’s insurer would wait for the driver’s insurer to pay first.
The thing is, Uber’s drivers are “freelancers,” according to Federal law. Because of this, the drivers themselves may only carry personal auto insurance coverage. In this case, it could be hard to get their insurer to pay since Uber is a form of commercial activity.
If the Uber driver only has a personal auto policy, you’ll have a hard time getting compensation. In case their insurer doesn’t want to pay, then Uber’s insurance coverage must come into play. Unfortunately, the ride-hailing service is quite infamous for denying insurance claims.
Uber, after all, faces hundreds of claims and lawsuits, at least 433 in 2017 alone. It already paid millions of dollars for dozens of other cases. In 2019, for instance, it paid a $20 million settlement for its driver classification case.
As you can see, calling a personal injury attorney is of utmost importance after an Uber accident. This way, you can raise your chances of getting the ride-hailing service to pay. If you go at it alone, the company and its insurers are likely to make life harder for you.
Where Uber Accident Lawsuit Loans Come Into Play
Uber accident lawsuit loans are also often called “Uber accident pre-settlement loans. They’re a type of legal funding for active lawsuits against the ridesharing service. However, they’re more of a “cash advance”, as they don’t work like usual loans that you must repay in any situation.
With that said, an Uber accident cash advance program is like a bank withdrawal. In this case, you can say that the “bank account” is your pending lawsuit settlement. You then get a monetary “advance” for a portion of the money you expect from the settlement.
Speaking of which, litigation funds are also available for other ride-hailing service lawsuits. There’s Lyft, for instance, which studies also tie to the rise in motor vehicle crashes. If you or a loved one were in a Lyft accident, you might be able to qualify for litigation funding too.
How Uber Accident Legal Funding Differs From a Traditional Loan
Traditional loans and Uber accident lawsuit loans are legally binding contracts. However, there is no “getting out” with the former, unless perhaps you file for bankruptcy. With a bank loan, for instance, you are responsible for paying the capital back, plus interest and other fees.
By contrast, you may not have to pay back a cash advance or “loan” on your Uber accident lawsuit. That’s because these litigation funding services are “non-recourse.” This means that if you don’t win the case, then you don’t have to repay the cash advance.
Paying back non-recourse loans depend on whether you receive compensation or not. If you don’t receive that check from Uber, the cash advance provider may not pursue you for repayment. The lender, after all, assumes all the risks associated with the Uber accident lawsuit.
How Uber Accident Pre Settlement Loans Can Help You
Your Uber accident settlement is your money, so you should be able to use it as you desire. However, it can take weeks or even months or years for the ride-sharing company to settle. So, you may have to wait for a long time before you can use that compensation you deserve.
The thing is, your needs for food, water, shelter, gas, and other things won’t wait. What’s more, if you got into a serious Uber accident, then you likely need medical attention. So, you’d need money to pay for your hospital bills and prescription medications.
This is what pre-settlement funding for Uber accidents aim to help you resolve. With a cash advance or loan on your lawsuit, you can “withdraw” from that pending settlement ASAP. In many cases, you can even receive the funds within as little as 24 to 48 hours.
Once you have the money, you can then buy food, pay for bills, and restock your medications. You can use the cash advance in any way you see fit, even for your therapies and treatment.
What You Need to Qualify for Rideshare Accident Lawsuit Loans
Keep in mind that litigation funding requires lenders to take on considerable risk. After all, if the plaintiffs (the victims) don’t win the case, then lenders won’t get their money back. The only time they can recover what they lent is if the borrower wins the case and receives the settlement.
As such, the most important qualification for a Lyft or an Uber accident lawsuit loan, is to have a current case. Meaning, the borrower should already have sued the parties involved. In addition, a personal injury attorney must represent the plaintiff.
These are requirements because they help ease some of the burden of risk that lenders take on. The presence of an attorney justifies that a case has merit. Legal representation also increases the success rate of a lawsuit and a settlement.
If you meet all these, then you’re likely to qualify for an Uber accident lawsuit loan. Speak to your attorney about taking out a pre-settlement loan on your Uber case. Your legal aid will explain the terms and conditions of the cash advance.
From here, all you need to do is to complete the online lawsuit loan application. If you apply with us here at Lawsuit Cash Today, you can expect us to work on your application right away. We will review your case and let you know if you are eligible immediately.
If you are, then with your consent, we can send you the funds within 24 to 48 hours.
Don’t Let Uber or Lyft Make You Wait for Compensation
There you have it, your ultimate guide to Uber accident lawsuit loans. As you can see, they can be beneficial, especially since settlement can take a long time. So, if you haven’t talked to an attorney yet, you may want to do that now so that you can file a lawsuit ASAP.
Once you have an ongoing case against the ridesharing app, you can already apply for a cash advance. Get in touch with our team here at Lawsuit Cash Today so we can start processing your lawsuit loan.