Uber and Lyft rides have become a bigger and easier mode of transportation over the last ten years. For the most part these rides are safe, but if you have been in an accident you will need an experienced lawyer to get you the money and medical care you deserve. In this article and video, we will help you learn how to find your Uber or Lyft accident lawyer.
Types of rideshare/ Uber and Lyft accidents.
- An accident where you were the passenger
- An Accident where the Uber/Lyft Driver hits you
1. An Accident where you were the passenger.
When you order a car for a ride, you aren’t expecting to be in an accident, yet the odds are 2 in 1,000,000 rides will be in an accident according to Ubers 2019-2020 safety report.
Now those odds do not seem very likely, but in 2021, Uber reported 63 billion rides. That’s a total around 32,000 accidents reported just by Uber.
The best news for you if you are involved in this situation is that Uber/ Lyft should cover you with their policy. To ensure you get covered or get the full payment, you need to hire an experienced accident lawyer.
2. An Accident where the Uber/ Lyft Driver hits you.
With the increase of rideshare use, the urgency and competition for riders has also increased. This can lead to more reckless driving and speeding to pick up passengers and get them to their destination in a fast time.
These accidents do not just apply to other drivers, but pedestrians, bike riders, and motorcycle riders. These accidents can be catastrophic and take an expert lawyer to defend you and get you what you deserve for your trauma.
Different scenarios for Uber/Lyft insurance tiers.
- App is on, but NO ride request accepted.
- App is on, and ride has been accepted, but NO passenger.
- App is on, ride has been accepted, and passenger has been picked up.
1. App is on, but NO ride request accepted.
- In this scenario, the insurance policy coverage is generally the lowest, in many cases only $50,00 per person and $100,000 per accident, but other sources of insurance coverage could be available to cover you.
2. App is on, and ride has been accepted, but NO passenger.
- In this scenario, once the job is accepted, the insurance policy increases, generally to $1,000,000 or more if the rideshare driver is at fault.
- There also could be uninsured motorist coverage available under the policy if the rideshare driver is not at fault.
3. App is on, ride has been accepted, and passenger has been picked up.
- In this scenario, once the job is accepted, the insurance policy increases, generally to $1,000,000 or more if the rideshare driver is at fault.
- There also could be uninsured motorist coverage available under the policy if the rideshare driver is not at fault.
4. App is off.
- If the app is turned off, then generally your personal auto insurance is the only policy available to you.
The best lawyers will gather this information:
- Weekly driving summaries
- Driver ratings and reviews
- Chat transmissions reporting the accident on the app
Other important things to know:
- Typically, Grubhub and Instacart do not provide insurance to its drivers
- If a driver is working for a rideshare company, their personal policy will provide no coverage.
- This means if you are hit by a driver for one of these companies, then you may need to utilize your own uninsured motorist coverage for the damages and injuries to yourself.
- A good lawyer will always ask the rideshare driver for ALL the companies they drive for.
- Rideshare companies have time restrictions for drivers and many drivers follow the rules, but some may switch companies once they reach their time limit to add more time.
- Uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage is essential for cases like these.
We hope this information has helped you figure out how to find Your Uber or Lyft Accident Lawyer. At our firm, we’ve handled dozens of rideshare cases, and some of them are extremely complicated to determine insurance coverage. If you need a winning Uber/Lyft accident lawyer, please call our office and allow us to share our experience in a free consultation today.