Approximately 75 million riders use Uber, and 23 million riders use Lyft. These ridesharing services are convenient, but can cause complications regarding accidents. If your Uber driver gets into a car crash, who’s to blame? If you’re injured by a Lyft driver, can you file a claim?
Here’s what you need to know about ridesharing and personal injury.
Insurance
Both Uber and Lyft have coverage to ensure the protection of passengers. If you’re injured in a ridesharing service, you may not be able to file a claim against your driver’s personal policy. Personal auto insurance companies can deny injury claims if they become aware the driver was graining profit from a driving service and did not carry applicable coverages. Therefore, Uber and Lyft cover injury damages for their passengers up to $1 million, even if the driver is uninsured.
If an Uber or Lyft driver gets into an accident while on duty but while awaiting a pick up request, and does not have passengers, the insurance typically covers at least:
- $50,000 per person for bodily injury
- $100,000 per accident total for bodily injury
- $25,000 per accident for property damage
Scenarios:
Passenger Injury
In this scenario, the ridesharing service should cover up to $1 million if your rideshare driver is at fault for causing the collision, or if your driver is not at fault but the at-fault driver is either uninsured or did not carry enough insurance to compensate you for your damages. If your injuries exceed $1 million, that’s when it gets complicated and an in-depth investigation of all possible insurance policies needs to take place.
Bystander Injury
An investigation needs to take place to determine if the rideshare driver was on duty and awaiting a pick up request, in route to a pick up request, or had already accepted a pick up request. These facts determine to what amount of coverage Uber/Lyft may be responsible for versus the rideshare driver’s own personal policy. If the driver is off duty, the accident should be treated as any other car wreck and your claim would be made against the rideshare driver’s personal policy.
What to Do
Claims involving rideshare drivers can be very complex. If you were injured while using Uber or Lyft or by a rideshare service driver, it’s important to contact a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible. Silkman Law Firm Injury & Accident Lawyer is not afraid to take on big insurance companies and fight for your right to seek compensation. Contact us today for a free consultation.
