Getting caught up in any kind of auto accident is distressing. If you are not the one who was behind the wheel, this is doubly disruptive.
An all-too-common example of this is when taxi customers are affected by an accident as a passenger. So if this happens to you, what steps should you take?
Check if you are eligible for compensation
You may be able to claim damages if you are involved in a taxi accident, although your eligibility will depend on how you have been affected by the incident, and which laws apply in your region.
Physical injuries resulting from this type of accident are widely recognized as being eligible for financial compensation. You may also have a strong case if you have suffered emotional distress and other mental health ramifications.
Compensation will help to cover the costs of any medical bills built up in the aftermath of the accident, and can also cover loss of earnings, if you were unable to work following your injury.
Get legal representation
Being eligible for compensation after a taxi accident is one thing, and actually claiming it successfully is quite another. This is where working with a qualified, experienced and responsive legal professional will help you hugely.
Attorneys that specialize in personal injury cases will know how to handle whatever scenario you are faced with, so the sooner you get in touch with a reputable and recommended practitioner in this field, the better.
In particular, if you decide to take your case to trial, having a lawyer to fight your corner is a must. And often the threat of this prospect will be enough to secure a settlement from parties that might otherwise be reluctant to pay out.
Consider where liability lies
The one thing that you can know if you are the passenger in a taxi that is involved in an accident is that you are almost certain to be in the clear when it comes to liability. Unless you were literally holding your hands in front of the driver’s eyes, or deliberately distracting them from the road ahead, then it is all but guaranteed that a third party will be deemed responsible for what happened.
All sorts of factors can lead to road accidents, from poor weather conditions to badly maintained vehicles and negligent driver behaviors. The accident might not be the fault of the driver of the taxi you were an occupant in; it could just as easily be another motorist, cyclist, or even a pedestrian.
If your driver is to blame, then the issue of liability can become trickier to work out, depending on how they are employed.
They may own their own vehicle and yet be employed by an umbrella taxi cab organization, in which case responsibility for the maintenance of the car could be down to them. They might be employed by a firm that also owns the car as part of a fleet, which would potentially make the organization entirely liable. They might own and operate a cab as a side-hustle, and use multiple ride-sharing and ride-hailing apps like Uber and Lyft to court clients, which is its own can of worms entirely.
Ultimately, as mentioned earlier, it is advisable to get an attorney on your side as soon as possible after an accident of any kind. This is very valuable if you are in a taxi that plays a role in an incident on the roads, since as you can tell this might get complicated quickly and it is better to have the support and guidance of a seasoned lawyer.
