What To Do When You’re Injured In An Uber or Lyft Auto Accident
Our Nashville Car Accident Lawyers Provide Tips to Help You Handle a Ridesharing Collision
Rideshare services are growing in popularity, with many individuals choosing to hire Uber and Lyft drivers to bring them from place to place. These services are expanding quickly, especially in busy locations like cities or tourist destinations. They are beginning to shift the habits of how commuters and travelers get from point A to point B.
Ridesharing is a form of transportation that allows an individual to request rides from another person through an app. Independent contractors sign up to be an Uber or Lyft driver, accepting passenger requests through various apps.
Although it has become an easy and convenient way to travel to your desired destination, ridesharing has sparked debate when it comes to being involved in an automobile accident while using the app.
Our Nashville Uber Car Accident Lawyers Provide Tips to Help You Handle a Ridesharing Collision
Most people are unsure about how to proceed immediately following this type of collision. For this reason, our Nashville car accident lawyers at Mitch Grissim & Associates have provided some important information for both drivers and riders that may help protect your legal rights.
Vehicle accidents occur frequently, and it can be difficult to determine who is held responsible, especially when you have sustained injuries due to a negligent driver. If you or a loved one experienced injuries after an Uber or Lyft automobile accident, you must know how to proceed with personal injury claims.
Whether you were the driver or passenger, our law office helps victims of ridesharing accidents fight for their legal rights. Continue reading for tips after being involved in a ridesharing accident.
Ridesharing Statistics
Business of Apps shared the following ridesharing statistics that show how popular the services have become:
- 15 million Uber trips are completed each day.
- Uber is available in 65 countries and over 600 cities worldwide.
- There are 23 million Lyft users.
- There are 1.4 million Lyft drivers.
Uber and Lyft continue to increase in popularity as more drivers and riders join daily. Though Uber and Lyft are the most popular convenient services, there are other options available for travelers when they choose a rideshare company.
While ridesharing may seem to be a safer and more efficient transportation option, auto accidents continue to occur. For this reason, it’s essential to be informed about how to handle a ridesharing accident.
Steps to Follow After an Uber or Lyft Collision
The moments following any collision can affect your legal rights and any compensation you may be entitled to obtain. Whether you’re the driver or passenger of an Uber or Lyft vehicle, it’s important to keep the following steps in mind after an accident:
- Check to see if anyone suffered injuries.
- Call emergency responders and have a police report filed.
- Take photos of the scene of the accident and any injuries.
- Ask for contact information from everyone involved in the crash.
- If there were any witnesses, record their statements.
- File a report through the ridesharing app.
- Contact an attorney if you suffered injuries that were not your fault.
These suggestions may help protect both drivers and riders involved in an Uber or Lyft auto crash. However, filing a claim after a ridesharing accident can be more complicated than a regular motor vehicle accident. It will be to your advantage to consult an attorney who is familiar with the laws surrounding ridesharing in your state.
What to Do if You’re the Passenger
The first step after a car accident with an Uber or Lift driver is to seek medical attention immediately. When emergency services arrive on the scene, get checked out even if you do not feel any physical pain. Personal injuries do not always present obvious symptoms and could be internal.
Pursuing Compensation
To fully compensate for damages incurred in any type of vehicle accident case, you must prove who was responsible for the crash. Additionally, you will need to show that the damages you sustained were a direct result of another person’s careless behavior and that they occurred when the accident happened. These damages can include lost wages, cost of medical attention after being injured, emotional distress, property damage, and more.
Your best chance of success will be to seek legal assistance from personal injury lawyers who have handled a Lyft or Uber car accident in the past. If you plan to sue Uber or Lyft and the case goes to trial, then you will need a personal injury lawyer.
Collecting Evidence Against the Uber or Lyft Driver
When you file a claim against an Uber or Lyft driver for their involvement in the car accident that caused you to be injured, evidence of the crash and injuries will be needed. For this reason, you should attempt to document and collect as much information from the accident scene as possible.
Exchange contact and insurance information with the various people involved, especially the rideshare driver. Ask for a copy of the police report after the authorities investigate the accident scene. Track your medical bills and other medical expenses if you were injured. Take pictures of the ride-share vehicle, the scene of the traffic accident, the insurance details of the necessary parties, and any other evidence from the car crash that could help point to the at-fault driver. This is helpful for insurance purposes.
Having a preponderance of the evidence will make all the difference in winning a personal injury claim, and personal injury attorneys will know what makes for compelling data.
Leave Insurance Negotiations to the Experts
While filing a claim after a Lyft or Uber accident is similar in some ways to any other car accident claim, attempting to recover damages in a ridesharing case can be much more complicated. The difference in this type of case lies in determining whose insurance policy will cover your damages. Depending on when the collision occurred, either the driver’s personal insurance company or the rideshare company’s policy may be held liable.
If you were a passenger in a Lyft or Uber accident and were injured, it’s best to contact an attorney who can review your case and determine who should pay for your damages and if you will be fully covered.
What to Do if You’re the Driver
Both Uber and Lyft have insurance policies in place for drivers in case of an accident and if people are injured. Working for Uber, Lyft, or another rideshare service may give you some protection from their insurance. However, drivers must also have their own personal auto insurance in order to drive for either of the two biggest ridesharing companies.
Each company has its own terms pertaining to the type of coverage they offer and the amount it will pay in case of an accident. After the accident, make sure to contact support in the ridesharing app and inform them of the wreck.
Below is an overview of the insurance available for both Uber and Lyft drivers. One thing to take note of is that liability coverage may not be the same from state to state.
Insurance for Uber Drivers
If the accident occurs while you’re offline or the UBER APP is off, your personal auto insurance policy will apply. Since you are not considered to be working as an Uber driver, in this case, their insurance company has no role to play because it is not considered an Uber accident.
Insurance Company Policies for Lyft Drivers
If the accident occurs while you’re offline or the LYFT APP is off, your personal insurance applies. Again, since you are not actively engaging in rideshare services, it is not considered a Lyft accident. Therefore, only your liability coverage will come into play.
The App Is on/in Driver Mode
Lyft has four types of insurance coverage available for drivers that are in effect from the time they accept a ride request until the time the ride has ended in the app:
- Primary liability insurance coverage: This policy has a $1,000,000 per accident limit.
- Contingent liability
- Contingent comprehensive and collision
- Uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM)
To learn more about how and when you’re covered under Lyft’s four types of insurance policies, visit their website.
Whether you were the driver or passenger, understanding how to proceed after Uber and Lyft accidents may help protect your rights and any compensation you may be entitled to receive.
What Not to Do After an Uber Or Lyft Accident
Just as there are steps to protect your rights, there are actions that can damage your claim. Our Nashville car accident lawyers have shared three things you should NOT do after being involved in Uber or Lyft accidents:
Do NOT Apologize
Whether you’re the victim or the driver, do not apologize or admit fault, especially when authorities are filling out a police report. Allow the police to determine who is liable. If you do so, there is virtually no chance that you will be able to claim damages for the rideshare accident.
Do NOT Discuss Details About the Car Accident on Social Media
It’s best not to discuss any information about your accident on social media. This can impact your claim and result in little to no compensation. Plus, it will protect the privacy of the Uber or Lyft driver and yourself.
Do NOT Give a Recorded or Written Statement Without Speaking to an Attorney
In many cases, insurance adjusters will ask for a recorded or written statement. However, giving a statement without first speaking to an experienced lawyer may damage your claim. If you say the wrong thing and even slightly indicate that you are at fault, the driver’s car insurance carrier will use that against you.
Ensuring you avoid these actions after a vehicle accident may help your case should you decide to file for damages.
Contact Our Law Firm to Learn More About Your Legal Options After a Ridesharing Accident
Our legal team is fully prepared to handle ridesharing cases. With our help, you can trust that your case is in experienced hands. If you have questions first, we offer a free consultation to answer them.
Liability is an important aspect that must be determined to obtain compensation for injuries and/or damages. Yet, figuring out who the at-fault driver is can be difficult. While any car accident can present multiple issues, it can become even more complicated in an accident with Lyft or Uber passengers, a ride-share driver, and the other driver.
The best decision you can make after sustaining injuries in an Uber or Lyft accident is to contact an experienced Nashville car accident lawyer who is familiar with this type of case. Working for Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing company should not exempt you from legal protection.
You have a right to be fairly compensated, even by the rideshare company directly, if negligence led to a collision and damages causing you to suffer.
Whether you are an Uber driver, Lyft driver, another rideshare driver, or passenger, call our law office today at 615-255-9999, or fill out our free case review form below.
