Tampa Uber & Lyft Rideshare Accident Lawyer
Rideshare Accident Attorneys Serving Injured Plaintiffs in Florida
Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are becoming more popular across Florida, and especially in the Tampa Bay area. While calling an Uber or Lyft on your smartphone can be a great way to avoid an intoxicated driving accident after you have been out with friends or to simply avoid the hassle of finding a parking spot in downtown Tampa or St. Petersburg, Uber and Lyft riders can still get hurt in serious car accidents. Like other types of car accidents, Uber and Lyft crashes can result from a wide variety of factors, from another motorist’s careless driving to a rideshare driver’s error. If you are injured in a collision, a Tampa Uber & Lyft rideshare accident lawyer can assist you.
What is an Uber or Lyft Accident?
Ridesharing, of which Uber and Lyft are the most popular ridesharing companies, is a type of service that allows a person to “call” a vehicle for transportation. While ridesharing services are similar in some ways to taxicabs, they are also different in a number of ways. First, you cannot hail or call an Uber or Lyft the way you can a taxicab. Rather, a rider “calls” the Uber or Lyft vehicle on a smartphone app.
Unlike taxicabs, Uber and Lyft vehicles are personal vehicles that are owned and driven by the rideshare service drivers. Ridesharing services are available widely across Tampa, and in cities across the U.S. and the world. A rideshare accident can happen anytime an Uber or Lyft vehicle is involved in a traffic crash. Accidents can be single-vehicle collisions in which a passenger in the rideshare vehicle suffers injuries, or they can be multi-vehicle accidents involving occupants of other cars or trucks. In some cases, a rideshare vehicle can also be involved in a pedestrian collision.
Types of Rideshare Accidents in Tampa
Rideshare accidents involving Uber or Lyft vehicles can happen in many different ways. The following are some examples of common kinds of rideshare accidents in the Tampa Bay area:
- Uber or Lyft driver is involved in an accident that includes one or more other vehicles (in which the Uber or Lyft driver may be negligent);
- Uber or Lyft driver makes a mistake and causes a single-vehicle accident in which the passenger and/or a pedestrian get hurt; or
- Another motorist is negligent and causes a collision involving an Uber or Lyft vehicle.
Like other car accidents, collisions involving Uber or Lyft drivers can have causes that do not involve motorist negligence. For example, a vehicle defect may cause an accident for which a motorist is not at fault. However, many car crashes do involve driver error—either the rideshare driver’s negligence or the careless behavior of another motorist.
Statute of Limitations for an Uber or Lyft Accident in Florida
Both Uber and Lyft have instructions for filing an insurance claim through the rideshare companies. However, if you need to file a lawsuit, you should know that the statute of limitations in a Florida car accident case is four years under Florida law.
Contact a Tampa Rideshare Accident Lawyer
Whether you are involved in a collision with a rideshare driver while you are in your own vehicle or while you are a passenger in the Uber or Lyft car, it is important to speak with an experienced Tampa rideshare accident attorney. to seek help with your claim. At the Matassini Law Firm, P.A., we assist injury victims with many different kinds of car crash claims, including rideshare accidents involving Uber and Lyft drivers. Contact the Matassini Law Firm, P.A. today.
