New Orleans is well-known as a hospitality and tourism economy, which means the taxi cab industry is a large one. As a New Orleans Personal Injury lawyer for numerous taxi cab drivers, I would like to talk to you about your rights as a cab driver in Louisiana and what steps you should take in certain scenarios. Since you spend the majority of your business day behind the wheel of a car, you are at a higher risk for personal injury, traffic tickets and auto accidents and therefore it is important that you understand your rights.
Understanding Personal Injury
A personal injury resulting from a car accident due to negligence on another party, or an attack from a passenger, can have a strong effect on both your personal life as well as your business. Let’s take a look at the two scenarios:
Personal Injury in an Accident
Since the road is your “business office” you are likely to see many auto accidents during your career. Sometimes you may be involved in the accident, and there will be times the accident results in an injury. Hiring an experienced traffic lawyer is beneficial in the case of injury and a personal injury attorney will help you, step-by-step, with your insurance company, employer, and medical help to ensure you are back to work quickly. Photo by Thomas Leuthard, Picasa Web Albums[/caption] As a taxi cab driver, you may want to consider hiring a personal injury attorney if you are the driver in an auto accident, and your passenger is the injured party. Regardless of whether you or the other driver is at fault, you should seek a lawyer in Louisiana to help you understand your rights as a cab driver in this scenario. Just because you were driving, does not mean that you are at fault, though the injured party / passenger may try to file suit against you. The passenger may not have been paying attention to the accident, was not driving, and therefore this is your battle to fight. Please feel free to contact me if you have been involved in an automobile accident that involves personal injury.
Personal Injury From an Attack
In 2012 there was a terrible story about a Marine that attacked a cab driver in North Carolina. As a cab driver, you are always put in a potentially dangerous situation: you pick up and drive strangers and oftentimes exchange cash in hand. By understanding your rights as a taxi driver, you can help protect yourself in grave situations such as being attacked. Although, as a taxi cab driver, it is legal to carry a registered firearm in your cab for protection, take a moment to think of the consequences. You must remember that if the wrong passenger ends up in your cab and discovers you do have a gun, they may feel threatened or worse, they may try to use it or steal it. So, before you go ahead and purchase a firearm, legally, think about the worst possible situation. If you ever find yourself in a situation that you are attacked, robbed, or injured by a passenger or while inside your taxi cab, call an attorney in Louisiana immediately.
Reduce Your Traffic Tickets with the Help of an Attorney
Though you are probably a safe driver, there may be lapses in judgement from time to time and you may receive moving violation tickets such as speeding, wrong turns, and failures to stop. If you find yourself receiving even at least one traffic violation, it is in your best interest to try to plea down in order to remove the violation from your driving record. If you receive multiple traffic violations, you could find yourself in danger of losing your license and therefore your career. With the help of a traffic attorney in New Orleans or surrounding areas, you will have the ability to continue driving without fear of losing your job. Just remember that if you do receive a traffic ticket, and you contact a traffic attorney, such as myself, to assist you in lowering your fines, points or other punishments, it will take approximately 30-45 days from time to traffic violation to close the case.
Taxi Cab Drivers Involved in Automobile Accidents: Hiring an Accident Attorney
The taxi cab driver can sometimes be misunderstood during an automobile accident involving their taxi cab, regardless of who is at fault. You must remember that you have rights as a driver, as a commercial driver, and as a human being. Hiring an automobile accident attorney will help you through the entire process from police reports to handling the insurance company, your employer, medical assistance as well as any other parties involved in the accident. Should you have any questions regarding the legal process, or need any help at all, please don’t hesitate to Contact Me.
