How Much Money Will I Get from an Uber settlement?

The “average” Uber crash settlement is like the average price of a new car. There’s such a difference between the cheapest new car (a $19,000 Nissan Versa) and the most expensive one (a $30 million Rolls-Royce La Rose Noire Droptail) that the “average price of a new car” is almost meaningless. Likewise, Uber crash settlements vary so greatly that the “average” settlement figure is almost meaningless.

Here’s one thing we know. The average economic loss in an Uber crash case, mostly lost wages and medical bills, exceeds $90,000. Prior economic losses help shape an Uber crash claim’s settlement value. More on that below. 

Here’s another thing we know. The average attorney-negotiated Uber settlement is over three times higher than the average nonlawyer-negotiated settlement. In other words, victims who don’t partner with a Newark personal injury lawyer often pay medical bills and other accident-related expenses out of pocket. Furthermore, these victims receive zero compensation for their pain and suffering, at least in most cases.

Economic Damages in an Uber Crash Settlement

We touched on the damages in an Uber settlement above. Now, let’s break these damages down a little further.

Medical bills usually include all reasonably necessary medical expenses the victim incurred. These bills usually include:

• Transportation Costs: Frequently, Uber crash injuries are so serious that emergency responders airlift victims to hospitals. Medevac helicopters are basically flying hospitals. Therefore, even a short medevac flight could cost more than $50,000. Similarly, surface ambulance transportation, even if the hospital is around the corner, usually costs thousands of dollars.
• Emergency Treatment: Uber crash injuries often require multiple diagnostic and surgical procedures. Internal wounds are a good example. Slow internal bleeding is very difficult for most diagnostic machines, such as MRIs, to detect. So, by the time doctors diagnose the problem, victims have often lost so much blood that their lives are in danger.
• Follow-Up Treatment: This category could be larger than transportation costs or emergency treatment. Doctors usually perform extensive follow-up procedures before they clear victims for physical therapy. Injury-related physical therapy is often much longer, more difficult, and more expensive than surgery rehab or other kinds of physical therapy.

Speaking of injury-related medical costs, most group health insurance policies don’t cover these expenses. If they inadvertently pay these costs, they usually demand reimbursement.

Insurance companies often dispute injury-related medical bills, based on the reasonably necessary requirement. Emergency transportation is a good example.

Most adjusters approve the next level down. If the victim was airlifted to a hospital, they’ll pay for an ambulance ride. If the victim took an ambulance, they’ll pay for a cab.

Economic damages in an Uber wreck also include lost wages and property damage. Lost wage compensation, like medical bill compensation, must also account for future lost wages or lost productivity. As for property damage, the family car often has an emotional value which, in many cases, exceeds its financial value.

Noneconomic Damages in an Uber Crash Settlement

In many cases, the economic damages in an Uber crash settlement pale in comparison to the noneconomic damages for things like:

• Pain and suffering,
• Loss of enjoyment in life,
• Emotional distress, and
• Loss of consortium (companionship).

To determine a fair amount of noneconomic damages, most North Jersey personal injury lawyers multiply the economic losses by two, three, or four, depending on factors like:

• Strength of the plaintiff’s case,
• Applicable legal theories,
• Possible defenses,
• Victim’s motivation to settle quickly, if any, and
• Likely outcome at trial.

That last bullet point merits some additional consideration. In 1985, the plaintiffs’ trial winning percentage was about 70 percent. Today, that winning percentage is less than 30 percent. A generation ago, when settlement negotiations began, a South Jersey personal injury lawyer was in the driver’s seat. Today, because of the low winning percentage, Uber usually makes low-ball settlement offers.

Building a Case

The first bullet point merits even more additional explanation. Lawyers must build strong cases that stand up to legal defenses to obtain maximum compensation.

The evidence in an Uber crash case usually includes medical bills, witness statements, and the police accident report.

Sometimes, this evidence is weak. Unavailable witness statements are a good example. For various reasons, many Uber crash witnesses don’t loiter at accident scenes so they can give official statements to police officers. 

Although many people won’t speak to police officers, they will speak to a South Jersey personal injury lawyer, or a private investigator working for a lawyer. A witness might have only seen part of the crash. But that witness might be the critical missing piece of the puzzle a lawyer needs to obtain maximum compensation.

Electronic evidence, like video camera footage, is often significant as well. In court, a camera is like an eyewitness who is never biased or wrong. So, this evidence is essentially bulletproof in court. Furthermore, electronic evidence resonates well with tech-savvy Essex County jurors. Uber lawyers know that, so electronic evidence often drives up a case’s settlement value.

Closing the Deal

A high settlement value is meaningless if a Middlesex County personal injury lawyer cannot seal the deal at a final arbitration hearing or, more likely, during settlement negotiations.

Over 95 percent of arbitration claims settle before the hearing date. Settlement negotiations usually begin once medical treatment is at least substantially complete. If an Uber crash claim settles too early, the settlement may not include all possible future medical expenses. If that happens, the victim may be financially responsible for such costs.

As mentioned, most group health plans exclude injury-related costs. Furthermore, it’s almost impossible for a Union County personal injury lawyer to reopen a settled case.

Usually, the victim’s lawyer makes the first settlement offer, based on the aforementioned calculations. Uber usually responds with a low-ball offer, since arbitration settlement negotiations are not court supervised. As a result, settlement negotiations in Uber crash cases are often long and protracted.

Sometimes, a third-party mediator gets involved and jumpstarts stalled negotiations. Mediators evaluate cases before they supervise negotiation sessions. So, they’re familiar with the strength and weaknesses of a party’s claims or defenses. As a result, they can gently nudge parties toward settlement or push them harder, depending on the makeup of the case.

Contact a Savvy Bergen County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to significant compensation. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Newark, contact CourtLaw. The sooner you reach out to us, the sooner we start working for you.