What You Should Know About Rideshare Accidents if You Regularly Use a Rideshare Like Uber

Ridesharing has provided a valuable and necessary secondary option to compete with taxis in most cities around the world these days. There are many benefits to being able to use ridesharing to maximize your ability to get around from place to place when you are traveling, but there are also negative factors that many people don’t think about. One of the main considerations that you need to have in mind is what to do if you get into an accident while you are in a rideshare.

A rideshare accident lawyer can help you secure the claims payout or settlement that you need to recover from an accident that happened to you while you were using a rideshare service. Fair compensation can be hard to come by in a ridesharing accident since you don’t own the car, and the person driving you is not acting in the same kind of capacity as someone who works for a taxi service.

What You Need to Know About Ridesharing Accidents

In standard auto accidents, you will exchange information with the other party involved in your accident, and then you will open a claim with your insurance company. The problem with ridesharing accidents is that the driver who was taking you somewhere in their vehicle might not have the coverage that they are required to have by law, and might not be willing to provide the information that you need. It is not uncommon for the ridesharing company to try to ignore people who are seeking claims information so that they can get a payout for their injuries and property loss caused by a rideshare driver.

It is possible to sue the rideshare company, and this is often your best bet if you have been severely injured as a result of taking a rideshare. You will not be able to tackle this kind of legal action on your own and should secure a skilled and experienced lawyer to help you with your case.

Things to Know About Uber and Lyft

Uber and Lyft use different “periods” to describe what their drivers are doing in relation to their time on the clock. These periods can create bottlenecks when an accident occurs, especially if the accident happened during a period when the driver was not officially on the clock.

Period 0: The driver doesn’t have the app on and is not looking for ridesharing work.

Period 1: The driver has the app on and has not yet accepted the ride.

Period 2: The driver has the app turned on and has accepted a ride, but has not yet collected their passenger.

Period 3: The driver has the app on, has accepted a rideshare, and has a secondary request queued to be accepted.

You can easily see just how confusing the fault considerations of this kind of driving accident might be. If the driver doesn’t document clearly what stage of the process they have entered into or if there are two different customers riding with them at the same time, it can get complicated to determine fault as well as payouts for everyone involved.

These companies don’t offer any coverage during period 0. They offer bodily injury, death, and property damage coverage during period 1. In periods 2 and 3, they offer up to $1 million in total accident coverage.

This set of policies explains why the companies tend to want to avoid dealing with claims. If they can convince you that you were not properly signed into the app at the time of the accident or claim that you were not in period 2 or 3, they can control their costs significantly.

This is where a lawyer usually comes into play, as figuring out the steps and stages of the process that happened leading up to your accident is what they do best. They will handle the investigation and the lawsuit against the rideshare company so that you can secure the settlement that you need to heal after your accident.

What to Do After a Rideshare Accident

If you have been hurt while you were in a rideshare, you need to get the ridesharing driver’s name, insurance information, and driver number. You should take pictures of the accident scene, the car, and the injuries that you or other people in the vehicle received. You will need to call the police because a third-party report will be very helpful in this kind of situation.

If you have been severely injured, you will need to seek medical attention. Once you have recovered enough to contact a lawyer, you will want to secure someone to help defend you after your accident. You should never have to accept that your claim has been denied or that you cannot get an accurate settlement to help you heal from your injuries. Your lawyer will tackle all of the necessary documentation, negotiations with the insurance company, and a lawsuit if you need to file one.

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Don’t Go It Alone Against a Ridesharing Company

If you have been injured in an accident while using a rideshare, you need to make sure that you don’t forget any of the steps that were discussed in this article. You will almost certainly need to secure a lawyer to help you with your case. Trying to figure out who was at fault and whether or not insurance will apply can be a nightmare without the skill of a lawyer on your side. Most ridesharing companies will try to pretend that you are not eligible for coverage, and you need to make sure that you don’t accept this kind of solution.

Your personal injury lawyer will work hard to secure you a settlement that allows you to be made whole after your accident. Ridesharing can be really quick and easy, but you will need to know that if an accident happens while you are using one of these services, collecting a settlement or payout can be tough.