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Know Your Rights: What Happens if You’re Injured in Ride-Sharing Vehicle

Ride-sharing vehicles hired through popular apps like Lyft and Uber have gotten more and more popular over the last decade. As their use increases, the number of people injured in them increases as well. But what are your rights if you’re injured in such a way? Are you rights the same as they’d be if you were a passenger in anyone else’s vehicle? Or in a taxi? Read on to learn the answers and then reach out to Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 if you’ve suffered injuries in a car accident.

The raid-hailing services are not typically responsible for any damages

In most cases, the companies themselves, Uber or Lyft, are not responsible for any accidents their drivers get into. As a result, you’ll be looking to damages from the insurance policy of the driver who was responsible for the accident. This includes all parties injured in any car accident in an Uber or Lyft.

Technically drivers are independent contractors

When a driver signs up to work for Uber or Lyft, they are designated as an independent contractor. This creates a layer of separation between the driver and the company, and it means that the liabilities a company may normally be responsible are not valid. However, the ride-hailing companies do make high liability insurance programs available to their employees. If you suffer a catastrophic injury as a result of a car accident that was the fault of an rideshare driver, then you may be able to make a claim of up to $1 million against the liability policy that these ride-hailing companies make available.

Your actions at the scene shouldn’t change

If you’re injured in a car accident while in a ride share vehicle, you’ll need to do exactly what you’d do if you were driving: Get as much evidence as possible. You’ll want pictures of the wreck. You’ll want screenshots of your receipt for the ride. Any claims you have should not be directed to the ride sharing service but instead to the driver of the car and their insurance company. There are only very specific situations in which you’d need to sue the ride sharing company direction.

You’ll first make a claim against the driver’s own insurance policy

If you’re injured in a car accident in which you’re in a ride sharing vehicle and another driver is responsible for the accident, then you’d first make a claim against that driver’s insurance policy. Only if that didn’t offer enough coverage would you then make a claim against the Uber / Lyft driver’s policy.

Either way, if you’re hurt in an accident involving an independent contractor then you’ll need to talk to a personal injury attorney. We know exactly how to handle these situations, starting with helping you organize evidence about the driver that’s at fault and examining the insurance policies to determine who’s at fault and whose coverage is going to adequately compensate you. This is a difficult situation to be in but we can help. Call Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707 right away.