Question 1

Who Can A Passenger Sue To Claim Compensation?

Accepted Answer

A passenger in a road accident may sue different parties. They can sue the driver of the vehicle they were in. They can also sue the other driver if the accident involves more than one vehicle.
Also, the passenger can sue both drivers. It depends on the circumstances of the accident when it occurs. At other times, the passenger can sue the vehicle manufacturer if a malfunction causes the accident.
It’s usually easier for passengers to claim compensation following a road traffic accident compared to a driver. However, cases, where the passenger sustains injuries, can get complex quickly, so it&#8217;s important that you, as the passenger, know your rights.
Enlisting an experienced lawyer helps a passenger understand his or her options. The lawyer assists the passenger in obtaining fair compensation. The passenger may claim compensation for medical as well as rehabilitation costs likely to arise in the future. They may also pursue compensation for lost wages, repair fees, and overall pain as well as suffering.

Question 2

What To Do If You're In An Accident As An Uber Or Lyft Passenger

Accepted Answer

Uber, Lyft, and other ride-sharing companies provide a convenient and inexpensive means of transportation for people in urban areas all over the U.S. Unfortunately, ride-sharing company drivers occasionally get into accidents that result in injuries to their passengers, other drivers, or pedestrians. Understanding how ride-sharing companies insure their drivers is important to recovering damages you may have an entitlement to.
Ride-share services typically have insurance policies for their drivers that apply when the drivers have passengers. For example, Uber uses a $1 million liability/$1 million uninsured/under-insured coverage policy for its drivers when they have passengers. This means that if an Uber driver has a passenger and then has an accident, the Uber insurance will pay the claim.
When ride-sharing service drivers don’t have a passenger, they are often covered only by their personal auto insurance. So, if they&#8217;re in an accident going to or from a fare, the Uber policy does not cover them. Only their own personal policy will cover them.
However, personal policies may exclude coverage of work activities such as driving for a ride-sharing company. Because ride-sharing company drivers are third-party contractors, it may limit the ability of victims to recover directly from the company.
Therefore, if you&#8217;re in an accident as a passenger of an Uber, Lyft, or another ride-sharing car, you need to talk to a lawyer. This is because receiving compensation can be complicated. Read more about Rideshare law in our featured article, Rideshare Accident Lawyer – 9 Facts Accident Victims Must Know.

Question 3

Can You Claim Damages For Pain And Suffering If In A Vehicle Accident?

Accepted Answer

If you’re involved in a car accident can you claim damages for pain and suffering? The answer to this is a definite yes. When you’re in a car accident and are not at fault, you have the right to receive compensation for the accident. You have the right to compensation for damages to your vehicle, lost wages, medical bills, and also for pain and suffering.
Determining fair compensation for pain and suffering is a little more challenging than the other areas. It&#8217;s easy to look at the damages to your car, your medical bills, and your lost wages and figure out how much money you should receive. It&#8217;s not so easy to determine how much you should be rewarded for pain and suffering.

Question 4

Damages For Pain And Suffering Can Include Compensation For Mental And Physical Pain

Accepted Answer

Pain and suffering are defined by mental or physical distress. If you are in a car accident and suffer injuries, you have physical pain due to those injuries. If those injuries were significant, you probably suffer mental distress as well.
Your mental distress was likely the result of fear over the injuries, concern over losing work, upset over the loss or damage to your car, and overall anxiety from the entire situation.

Question 5

How Are Damages For Pain And Suffering Calculated?

Accepted Answer

Pain and suffering are personal and impossible for anyone but the victim to understand. Different people have different thresholds for pain. For some people, an injury might be a minor inconvenience. For others, that injury could cause them an extreme amount of pain. This could prevent them from moving around or working.
Because pain and suffering are personal issues, there are some legal guidelines that help determine what kind of damages should be awarded.
Pain and suffering damages are often calculated by combining the damages awarded for injuries, lost wages, and damages to personal property. Then, multiply that figure by a number. What number do they use as the multiplier? That depends.
Today, companies use complex software. This takes into consideration a number of factors when determining how much you suffered as a result of your injuries. Injuries such as a broken bone that require multiple surgeries have more weight than relatively minor injuries. Especially ones that require no surgical intervention.

Question 6

3 Things To Do If You're Involved In A Wreck While Renting A Vehicle

Accepted Answer

Millions of Americans rent vehicles each year to provide temporary transportation for business or vacation trips or when their primary vehicle is in the shop. Unfortunately, a number of these drivers will get into accidents while renting a vehicle. Understanding how insurance coverage for rented vehicles such as SUVs, pickup trucks, motorcycles, sedans, vans, and buses works and your responsibility when accidents involving rented vehicles occur, will make these unfortunate accidents less stressful.

Question 7

Check Your Insurance Cover

Accepted Answer

Rental companies will usually ask you for your insurance card if you do not take their auto insurance coverage in order to confirm that you’re covered. Talk to your insurance agent about rental coverage before renting a vehicle. Your coverage is a lot cheaper than the coverage the rental company may provide.
If you decide not to opt for rental car insurance, at least make sure your own car insurance covers rental vehicles. If it doesn’t and you get into an accident, you could personally be on the hook for some major costs. Before you rent, you should speak to your auto insurance agent to determine what type of coverage you have, if any, regarding car rentals.
Depending on your existing auto insurance, you will want to choose your own auto insurance since it comes with the maximum coverage limits. It’s never cheaper to take the rental company’s insurance coverage unless your own policy will not protect you. For starters, if you’re considering renting a car, go ahead and talk to an auto insurance agent. Ask whether it’s smart to purchase the insurance offered by the rental company or not.
If an accident does occur when you’re driving a rental car, remember these tips:
1. Never admit fault. Ever.
2. Call the rental company as soon as possible. If you didn’t purchase the rental company’s insurance, call your own insurer ASAP, too.
3. Be prepared to contact a personal injury lawyer. Especially if you suffer injuries as a result of the negligence of another driver.

Question 8

What Is A Phantom Vehicle In Relation To Automobile Insurance?

Accepted Answer

What is a phantom vehicle? A phantom vehicle most commonly refers to a vehicle that causes an accident without making contact with a victim or the victim&#8217;s vehicle. How can a car cause an accident without hitting anyone or anything?
Simple. A phantom vehicle is at fault in an accident when it performs a dangerous or unlawful maneuver that causes another vehicle or many vehicles to have to take evasive action to avoid being struck. This evasive action leads to the other vehicle suffering some kind of damage due to hitting another car, hitting a stationary object, hitting a person, or skidding off of the road.

Question 9

Phantom Vehicles Often Leave The Scene Of An Accident

Accepted Answer

One of the most problematic issues with phantom vehicles is the fact that they often leave the scene of the accident. In some cases, this could be the result of an honest mistake. If the driver of a phantom vehicle doesn&#8217;t make contact with another car, they may not even realize that they have caused an accident.
They may also realize that there was an accident, but since they didn&#8217;t strike another car they may not realize that they can still be held liable for causing the accident. In many cases though, phantom drivers choose to leave the scene of an accident so that they won&#8217;t be accused of causing it. They are attempting to escape responsibility, and in many instances they do.

Question 10

A Phantom Vehicle Can Also Refer To A Hit And Run Driver

Accepted Answer

Sometimes a hit-and-run driver is also a phantom vehicle. Why? Because they were the cause of an accident and have disappeared after the accident. While phantom vehicles that don&#8217;t hit another car could mistakenly believe they weren&#8217;t the cause of an accident, hit and run drivers can&#8217;t make this claim. A hit-and-run driver strikes another car, knows they did it, then still chooses to leave the scene anyway.

Question 11

When Do You Consider A Car A Phantom Vehicle?

Accepted Answer

In order to be considered a phantom vehicle, a car has to meet certain criteria. First of all, they had to have been engaging in an illegal and dangerous act that caused your accident. For example, if a car veers into your lane and forces you to turn out of the way causing you to hit something, they would be considered a phantom vehicle.
Secondly, their vehicle could not have made contact with your car during the accident. Thirdly, the at-fault driver left the scene of the accident. The final criteria are that the at-fault vehicle cannot be identified.

Question 12

Do You Know What's Under Your Umbrella Policy?

Accepted Answer

An umbrella policy provides coverage beyond the monetary limits established by traditional home and auto policies. They also cover many circumstances not included in these policies. If you’ve been involved in an accident, assessing the level of coverage available from the other party’s insurers is important, to recover the compensation and damages you deserve.
Many people with substantial assets obtain personal umbrella policies to provide protection for these assets should they ever be involved in a lawsuit. Insurance agents can help their clients determine whether an umbrella policy is right for them.

Question 13

Here’s an example of how umbrella policies work:

Accepted Answer

If you’re in an auto accident that injures another driver, your auto policy will provide coverage up to the policy limit you’ve chosen. If claims exceed that amount, you may be on the hook for those costs. That&#8217;s unless you have an umbrella policy offering further protection.

Question 14

Consider another example of how umbrella policies work:

Accepted Answer

Let’s say that your dog gets loose and bites one of your neighbors. This causes injuries requiring medical treatment and physical therapy. Your homeowner’s policy may not cover this occurrence but many umbrella policies do provide coverage for these situations. Umbrella policies can help protect your assets against many unexpected events that may befall you or your family.
Should you get involved in an accident, ascertaining the extent of the other party’s insurance policies is important. Especially if the case ends up in court. An experienced accident lawyer can find this information and make the right recommendations concerning litigation and settlement.

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