Rideshare companies have become increasingly popular in recent years. Rideshare can represent an arrangement between coworkers where they travel together, or in more common cases, arrangement with a company like Lyft or Uber. However convenient this may sound, there may be some complications if you happen to find yourself involved in a rideshare accident, as some rules don’t always apply.
This is why we’ve come up with tips on what to do if you were involved in a rideshare accident down below.
Seek Medical Care
The first thing you should do after any roadside accident is to ask for immediate medical care. Even if you’re feeling fine, there might be some underlying issues such as internal bleeding, which is quite common in car accidents. Furthermore, injuries like whiplash don’t show up right away but take hours and even days to show up. Seeking medical care will also play into your hand if you decide to pursue legal charges because you will have solid medical evidence you were injured to help with your case.
What Rideshare Companies Cover
Rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft require their drivers to have personal auto insurance policies hoping the insurance companies will cover the accident costs. If this doesn’t happen, Uber offers coverage if the driver is available/waiting or en route. In the first case, the rideshare service may cover up to $ 100 000 per accident. Lyft only has a $ 2,500 deductible on collision coverage. Both companies tend to prefer to have personal insurance pay first and then cover gaps if any still exist.
Look For Legal Advice
The second thing you should do is to look for legal advice. And that is because you can never be certain enough whether you’re aware of all things you should do. This is especially important, as Los Angeles personal injury attorneys point out because insurance adjusters will do everything they can to deny your claim, which is why it’s crucial to look for a law firm with outstanding results. Furthermore, it’s especially important not to put yourself through the added stress of a trial if you’re going through medical recovery and should let your attorney do it for you.
If the Rideshare Driver Was Responsible
As we’ve previously stated, Uber and Lyft drivers have personal insurance coverage, as well as the coverage that the rideshare companies offer themselves. If you are a passenger, you are not at fault here, and you should expect the driver’s insurance to cover the damages through the company, but there may be some complications. These complications entirely depend on the nature of the accident and how who’s at fault it is determined. These are all the more reasons to look for expert legal services.
If Another Driver Was Responsible
Uber and Lyft, both very serious rideshare companies, offer coverage for injuries and damages while you were a passenger. If the fault is with the other party, their insurance should pay for our damages and injuries. If the other party is not insured or underinsured, rideshare companies also have policies for that. The claim can get complicated only in this situation since you will have multiple insurance companies to contend with, and it may take a long time for them to work together.
Rideshare Accident Without a Passenger
This particular case depends on whether the rideshare driver was matched with someone and pick them up. As we’ve previously stated, only in cases where the driver was on waiting/available or in route status can they hope the rideshare company will cover the cost of the accident? In these instances, the driver’s insurance should take care of the coverage. This may be somewhat complicated if you were involved in this type of rideshare accident since the rideshare’s company insurance is much more reliable.
Filing a Lawsuit
If you were involved in a car accident with a rideshare driver, you might be able to sue the rideshare company that was in question. But to do so, you should ask for legal advice because the requirements heavily depend on the case and the accident itself. Uber and Lyft are considered independent contractors, but this may not apply completely to the drivers. This is all the more reason to consider hiring a good lawyer, to make things easy to understand, and to have a better chance of winning a case.
As you’ve probably gathered by now, there are some potential complications for certain types of rideshare accidents. Furthermore, things get even more complicated if there are many insurance companies in charge of covering the costs. This is why you must hire an outstanding personal injury lawyer to see the whole process true, which is especially important if you are recovering from the injuries of the given accident. If you were injured, make sure you get proper medical care first!
