Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft offer an unmatched level of convenience. With just a few taps, a vehicle will show up quickly to take you to your destination. This convenience has fueled the rapid growth of these platforms, which have become indispensable to countless individuals who need reliable, on-demand transportation. However, as rideshare vehicles take over the streets, the probability of traffic accidents increases. Rideshare drivers, operating on unfamiliar routes and long hours, have unique pressures that can put them at higher risk behind the wheel. Sometimes, the push to maximize trips leads to rushed driving decisions, fatigue, or distractions, all of which impact road safety. This often leads to injuries that could either be minor or severe, depending on the severity of the crash.
So, what are the common types of Uber accident injuries? Each is explained in the information below.
Burns
Uber accidents can lead to burns, varying from mild to severe, and in the worst of cases, wrongful death. Many issues, including airbag deployment, contact with hot surfaces, or fire, can cause accident burns.
While airbags are supposed to protect you in a crash, they can result in burns. Mild burns, usually first-degree, can result from the chemical reaction and rapid inflation on your face, arms, or chest. These burns only affect the skin’s outer layer and usually heal quickly. Although an airbag is designed to cushion you in the event of a collision, if it hits more vulnerable areas like your eyes or neck, it can cause more severe injury. This then results in more profound tissue damage.
In other cases, hot surfaces inside a vehicle can cause burns. After a high-impact crash, parts of the car, like the engine or exhaust system, can be exposed. If trapped inside or ejected, contact with these heated surfaces will result in second or third-degree burns.
Second-degree burns also affect the outer and deeper layers of the skin, causing blisters, pain, and swelling. Third-degree burns destroy all layers of skin and can damage underlying tissues. Surgery and a long recovery may be needed for these severe burns.
Though rare, fires can occur during a crash and are the most hazardous risk of burn injury. A ruptured fuel tank or electrical malfunction can ignite a fire that can burn the victim’s body wholly and fast. These are third-degree burns, which can be fatal if they cover a large part of the body. When the burns result in death, those surviving family members can sue for compensation for their loss through a wrongful death lawsuit. They can recover compensation to cover their emotional damages and economic losses.
If there is a fire during the accident, third- or fourth-degree burns could quickly result in life-threatening injuries. If you have some burns, you need immediate medical attention to prevent complications.
Broken Bones
Broken bones can occur in what seems like a minor crash in a rideshare accident. Fractures in vulnerable areas of your body can happen suddenly from a side collision, sudden stop, or airbag deployment. As a passenger, you have no control over the vehicle’s movement and, therefore, are more exposed in the event of an accident.
Rideshare accidents can lead to fractures in the body that range from minor to severe. Bracing yourself could break your wrists or arms, or the force of a seatbelt could break your ribs during impact. Rear and side collisions often cause leg and ankle fractures because the lower limbs absorb the shock of the crash.
The treatment for a bone fracture depends on the severity of the fracture. A simple fracture in which the bone cracks without breaking through the skin could need extended immobilization and physical therapy. On the other hand, you could suffer a compound fracture, which comes with the risk of infections. Compound fractures occur when the bone breaks through the skin, often requiring surgery and lengthy hospital stays. On the other hand, comminuted fractures occur when bone shatters into many pieces. These require complex treatment and rehabilitation and often result in long-term mobility issues.
Recovering from broken bones can disrupt your life. The severity of the injury will determine whether you need surgery, therapy, and ongoing care, which will affect your daily routine. Recovery can be limited in mobility, making routine tasks challenging and possibly even requiring assistive devices or help from others.
Recovery from a fracture is a process that requires patience. Medical care and physical therapy can help restore mobility. However, it may take some time, and you may have to see your doctor or therapist for follow-up visits and adjustments to your lifestyle. If you have the right treatment and support, you can regain your quality of life and gradually return to normal activities.
Brain Injury
If your Uber gets into an accident, you could suffer a brain injury, even in a minor collision. A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can happen from any sort of sudden impact. This is because the force of an accident disrupts normal brain function. TBIs can be serious, with risks to cognitive abilities, mood, and physical health, sometimes with long-term or permanent effects.
You also could suffer a concussion. A concussion is a 'mild’ type of TBI that can result from a minor accident. Although it is labeled as a concussion, it can cause ongoing effects, like headaches, dizziness, and memory lapses. The more intense the crash, the more likely the brain trauma will be, which includes:
- Contusions — Bruising of brain tissue
- Diffuse axonal injuries — Damage spread across brain cells
These injuries can have a severe effect on your quality of life.
Signs of a brain injury may not be apparent after an accident. Symptoms like confusion, nausea, mood swings, or trouble with balance or focus can appear hours or days after the accident. You must seek medical evaluation when you see any signs and begin treatment. Proper care of a brain injury is timely and can make a big difference in managing and mitigating it.
The consequences of your brain injury from a rideshare accident do not stop at your health. The burden is compounded by medical treatments, rehabilitation, and time away from work and can be financially draining.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Some rideshare accidents result in spinal cord injuries, which can have serious and long-lasting effects on your body. Your spinal cord is important for sending messages between your brain and the rest of your body. When it sustains damage, it can disrupt these signals, leading to significant impairments, like paralysis, loss of sensation, or even difficulty breathing, depending on how bad the injury is.
The force of impact in an accident can cause the spine to move unnaturally. For example, a sudden jolt or a sharp twist can break or displace the vertebrae, causing herniated discs or injury to the spinal cord directly. In some cases, the spine could bend or compress during the crash and put pressure on the spinal cord, causing injury. The damage can range from mild to catastrophic, and the consequences depend on the location and extent of the injury.
Spinal cord injuries are either complete or incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury means loss of function below the site of injury, which results in paralysis. An incomplete injury occurs when movement or sensation remains below the affected area. The amount of lost function is based on the level of the injury. It could affect:
- The throat — Cervical spinal cord injury
- The abdominal and upper back muscles — Thoracic spinal cord injury
- Your lower body and legs — Lumbar spinal cord injury
Symptoms of a spinal cord injury can be as serious as muscle and nerve damage, including:
- Severe back pain
- Inability to move limbs
- Loss of sensation
- Trouble with simple tasks like breathing or maintaining balance
These symptoms can be frightening, and immediate and quick medical intervention is needed to avoid further damage. Emergency treatments include stabilizing the spine, controlling swelling, possibly surgically correcting fractures, or relieving pressure on the spinal cord.
Recovering from a spinal cord injury is a long and usually challenging process. It usually means hospitalization and months or even years of physical therapy to try to regain as much function as possible. The level of help you may require depends upon how bad the injury is, and you may require assistive devices or even have to have ongoing care for your daily activities. Recovery also calls for emotional and psychological support because readjusting to life with a spinal cord injury can be emotionally draining.
A spinal cord injury from a rideshare accident can change your life forever. Then, immediate medical treatment and a comprehensive rehabilitation plan are essential to your recovery.
Neuromuscular Injury
Neuromuscular injuries affect the relationship between your nerves and muscles, which could make your mobility and function suffer long-term. The impact of the crash can cause a variety of symptoms, from mild discomfort to severe, long-term disabilities.
During a collision, the sudden jolt of your body can strain muscles and ligaments in your neck, back, and limbs. You could then suffer whiplash. Whiplash is a common neuromuscular injury resulting from rapidly jerking your head forward and backward. With this motion, the muscles and ligaments of your neck will face all of this stress, pain, stiffness, and lack of movement. Sometimes, the nerves in your neck and spine are compressed or irritated and cause symptoms like tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness in your arms or legs.
In high-speed collisions, more severe impacts can damage the spinal cord and cause severe neuromuscular injuries. The spinal cord is the communication highway between your brain and the rest of the body. The signal from the brain to the muscles is disrupted when the spinal cord is injured, which can lead to partial or complete paralysis. The location of the injury determines the extent of paralysis. Spinal injuries higher up on the spine can affect your entire body, while a spinal injury lower down will only affect your legs.
Another concern is damage to the brachial plexus other than spinal cord injuries. This network of nerves controls your shoulder, arm, and hand. Loss of function or weakness in your arm and hand can be caused by damage to the nerves in the brachial plexus if they are stretched, torn, or damaged during the accident. You may experience pain, loss of movement of the affected arm, or even complete paralysis.
The severity of neuromuscular injuries determines the treatment. In some cases, less severe physical therapy and pain management are all that is needed to restore full function. However, surgery may be necessary if the nerves are badly damaged, and healing may take months or even years. In other cases, that can cause permanent damage, resulting in lifelong limitations and making it hard or impossible to return to normal activities or work.
A neuromuscular injury can do more than just cause physical discomfort. It can also affect your emotional and psychological well-being. Depression, anxiety, or diminished quality of life can result from chronic pain, disability, and limited mobility.
Lost Limbs
Unfortunately, some rideshare accidents are so bad that people will lose limbs. High-speed and large vehicle collisions can cause devastating trauma. These accidents can crush or sever limbs, damage critical blood vessels, nerves, and bones, or make saving the limb impossible.
Consequences can be profound if a limb is lost in an accident. The effects are immediate and are physical effects that require emergency surgery and often amputation if the damage is too severe to repair. Once you lose your limb, recovery is intensive, both physically and mentally, because you may need to adjust to life with a prosthetic. It takes time, effort, and special care to learn how to use a prosthetic, get moving again, and do the most basic things.
Losing a limb can have just as much of an emotional burden as other grave injuries. Throughout the recovery process, many people experience feelings of grief, loss, and identity challenges, and psychological support is essential. Managing the emotional struggles that come along with life after this traumatic event can be helped by counseling.
Losing a limb also has a significant financial impact. Surgery, rehabilitation, prosthetics, and ongoing medical care can cost a small fortune. In addition, if the injury prevents you from working, you risk losing your source of income.
Damages Recovered After an Uber Accident
When you are involved in an Uber-related accident, you may be entitled to compensation from more than one party. You can pursue compensation from the Uber driver, Uber itself, or a third party because all could have been involved in the accident. When you name all responsible parties as defendants in your case, it helps ensure you get the full compensation you deserve for the damage you have suffered.
If an Uber driver's negligence caused an accident, that driver can be held liable for your injuries. Actions like distracted driving, reckless speeding, or not following traffic laws are examples of negligence by Uber drivers. In these cases, Uber’s insurance will likely pay towards damages, the terms of which depend on the driver’s status at the time of the accident.
For example, if the driver was transporting you or on their way to pick you up, Uber’s higher liability coverage could come into play.
In some cases, another party outside of Uber may be liable. For example, if another driver caused or contributed to the collision or the road’s conditions were subpar, you can include the driver or the local government agencies in charge of the roads in the claim. Holding all liable parties accountable gives you a more solid foundation to get maximum compensation. Your attorney can help you identify any third-party negligence and advise you on how to best approach each defendant.
In building a strong case, evidence collection is pivotal. An experienced attorney will look at traffic camera footage, get witness statements, and review the accident report to ascertain who was at fault in the accident. Determining the timeline of events is also crucial. Evidence of the driver’s status affects which insurance policy. Your claim could be subject to:
- The driver’s personal coverage
- Uber’s policy
If you win your lawsuit, you may recover damages that cover short-term to long-term expenses, like medical costs, rehabilitation, and therapy. Your claim may include lost wages, diminished earning capacity, and pain and suffering. Ensuring these damages are accounted for helps alleviate your recovery's financial and emotional burden. Moreover, by putting together a good case, you position yourself to land fair compensation for your present and future needs.
Find an Uber Accident Attorney Near Me
Uber accidents can cause serious, life-altering injuries that affect your health, finances, and lifestyle. Worse yet, if you have lost wages and are facing mounting medical bills in addition to the challenges of recovery alone, it can be overwhelming. By holding those responsible for their actions accountable, you protect your rights and gain the support you need to move forward.
If you or someone you love was injured in an Uber accident, contact the Los Angeles Car Accident Attorney today at 424-237-3600. Our skilled attorneys are ready to pursue the compensation you deserve so you can focus on healing. Start your journey toward recovery and justice now.
