Liability for Ridesharing Accidents: What You Need to Know

Ridesharing has made so many aspects of life easier. If you want to have a few drinks while you’re out, you can turn to Uber or Lyft instead of trying to schedule a taxi in advance. Have a work meeting in an unfamiliar part of the city? Entrust the task to a rideshare driver. However, anything that makes life easier also comes with its downsides. The same is true with ridesharing and an uptick in accidents across the country.

Not sure what happens after a rideshare accident? We’re here to help. Call Wilkins, Bankester, Biles & Wynne at 251-937-7024 to set up a consultation now.

The Basics of Liability Are the Same

The basic principles of liability are the same, whether or not a rideshare driver is involved in a crash. Either driver could be liable, but so could the vehicle manufacturer, the municipality that maintains the roads, or the repair shop that last took care of either vehicle. If either driver was working at the time of the collision, their employer could even have some liability.

However, rideshare accidents start to split apart from the rest when you look at the insurance coverage they have at different steps of a ride. since insurance coverage is often a limiting factor when it comes to getting full and fair compensation, it’s important to know how protected you are when you choose to ride with a rideshare company.

Insurance Coverage is Different for Rideshare Drivers

The rideshare industry grew so quickly that legislation struggled to keep up. Now that ridesharing is a regular and accepted part of American life, there is a lot more protection available to drivers and riders alike.

Uber and Lyft provide insurance coverage for accidents caused by their drivers. The coverage varies, depending on where they are in the process:

• App turned on, but no ride is accepted: The driver has $25,000 of coverage for property damage, $50,000 of coverage per person, and a total of $100,000 per accident.
• On the way to pick up a rider or driving with a rider in the vehicle: The rider has up to $1 million of liability coverage.

If the app is off, the rideshare company’s insurance does not apply at all. In this situation, you would seek compensation through the driver’s personal vehicle insurance.

Protecting Yourself After a Crash

Whether you are injured as a rider in an Uber or Lyft driver’s vehicle or you hit an Uber or Lyft car with your vehicle, it’s important to protect yourself after a collision. Yes, rideshare drivers have plenty of insurance coverage to pay for the property damage and injuries they cause. However, that doesn’t mean it’s always easy to get them to pay out.

Uber and Lyft drivers know that serious accidents or a track record of minor accidents make it more likely that they will be deactivated on the platform and lose a source of income. Because of this, some drivers are unwilling to hand out insurance information or even report the crash. This makes it very hard for you to get your expenses paid for.

Even once your crash reaches the insurance company, there’s no guarantee that they will pay you what your injury is worth. Providing that level of coverage to the thousands and thousands of rideshare drivers in the United States is incredibly expensive, and one of the ways they protect their profit margins is to deny injury claims whenever possible.

To keep yourself safe after a crash, immediately report it to the police. You want documentation of the accident and evidence you can give to your attorney. Get insurance information from the Uber or Lyft driver. From there, you’ll need to reach out to a rideshare accident attorney in Baldwin County. We can help you fight for what you deserve.

Reach Out to Wilkins, Bankester, Biles & Wynne Today

If a rideshare accident has left you injured and unsure of what you should do next, the team at Wilkins, Bankester, Biles & Wynne is here to help. Set up an appointment now. You can reach us online or give us a call at our Fairhope office at 251-928-1915.