14 August 2017

 A Florida man was driving with an Uber passenger in Miami, when a van driving in the opposite direction, owned by Donovan Marine Services, Inc., made a hard left-hand turn striking the Uber service vehicle. The front of the van collided with the left side of the Uber driver’s car; leaving only damage to the Uber vehicle and none to the van. The police report listed “no injuries” at the scene.

Shortly after the accident, the defendant began to experience back pain but did not take an ambulance to the hospital following the incident. Hours later, he presented at the emergency room of a local hospital and was admitted for severe back pain.

A lawsuit was filed by the defendant against the driver of the van that struck his vehicle, stating the driver was at fault for the accident and the injuries he sustained. The insurance company which insured the van’s driver, CNA (American Casualty Company of Reading, Pennsylvania) immediately offered $150,000 to settle the case. After negotiations and valuation of the injuries sustained by the defendant and subsequent medical bills, the final settlement was accepted for $260,000.

CNA paid $254,682 for the Uber Driver’s pain and suffering. The rest was for the medical bills that he owed.

18 September 2014

In the fall of 2014, a man, working as an Uber rideshare driver in New York, was rear-ended by a vehicle on his route to pick up a rideshare customer causing him to then crash into an oncoming vehicle. 

As a result of the accident, the following injuries were suffered by the plaintiff:

• Left shoulder synovitis with a SLAP tear, partial rotator cuff tear, subacromial impingement (requiring surgery);
• C5/6, C4/5, C/3/4, and C2/3 disc herniations with foraminal impingement (requiring epidural steroid injections);

First, since he was injured during the course of his employment, he was entitled to Workers’ Compensation benefits. Depending on the state in which you are filing a case, when you are injured on the job, Workers’ Compensation may be responsible for paying all of your medical bills and lost wages. 

Second, the driver that struck the Uber driver from the rear claimed that the Uber service vehicle stopped short causing the accident. After depositions were completed, a motion was filed for the plaintiff under the law that a driver of the rear vehicle must keep a safe distance to avoid striking the vehicle to the front.

The court found the defendant 100% responsible for the accident and subsequent injuries, expediting the case and putting pressure on the defendants to either settle the case or go to trial. A settlement was reached in the amount of $485,000.00 in a little under a month in favor of the plaintiff.