What Happens If Your Uber Gets into an Accident?
What Happens if Your Uber Gets into a Accident?
Uber, Lyft, and other rideshare companies have become such an integral part of 21st century life that “Uber” has become its own verb, as in, “I’ll just uber home.” The vast majority of rideshares begin and end without incident. We use the app, a driver arrives, and we get to our destination without incident.
But when accidents happen (and they do happen), does the fact that there is an Uber or Lyft driver involved affect the legal issues?
From the standpoint of a personal injury attorney, it depends.
Who is at fault?
When a Lyft or Uber accident occurs, the first issue that lawyers, insurance companies, and sometimes the police need to resolve is liability. In other words, who caused the accident to occur? That determination lets the parties know which insurance policy is going to be on the hook for damages.
- The rideshare driver is at fault. If the rideshare driver caused the accident while they were on a fare, then the insurance policy from Uber or Lyft will cover the damages from the accident. Most of these companies have policies that carry up to one million in liability coverage.
- Another driver is at fault. If the accident was caused by a third party, then the third-party’s insurance policy should cover the damages from the accident.
- What if the at-fault driver is uninsured? If the driver that caused the accident does not have insurance on that motor vehicle, the rideshare company’s uninsured motorist coverage will kick in to cover the losses and damages.
- What if the at-fault driver has insurance but it isn’t enough to cover all the damages, like medical bills and lost wages? Uber and Lyft policies also carry underinsured coverage.
- It isn’t clear who is at fault. When liability is not obvious from the scene of the accident, or of there is reason to believe that more than one driver was at fault, liability issues can take a while to resolve. If a lawsuit is filed, a judge or jury may determine liability.
What should you do if you are involved in an Uber accident?
Regardless of how the accident happened or which driver is at fault, there are some steps you should take after the accident.
- Gather as much information as you can. If you are able, get names, addresses, and phone numbers of everyone involved in the accident, as well as any witnesses. Ask for the insurance policy information for any of the drivers, as well.
- It is not always possible to safely gather this information on your own. Sometimes, people are too hurt to produce the information. Other times, police keep the parties separated. Just gather what information you can.
- Take pictures. Take several pictures or video of the vehicles from different angles as soon as possible after an accident.
- Don’t sign anything. If any insurance adjuster from any company shows up at the scene, don’t give a statement and don’t sign anything.
- Get medical attention if you need it. If the accident is serious enough to send you to the hospital in an ambulance, there may be no question that you were hurt. However, it is not unusual at all to first notice pain hours or even days after the accident. Seek medical attention as soon as you think you might be injured.
- Don’t wait too long to seek for medical treatment. The longer you wait to get treatment, the easier it will be for an insurance company to claim that you were not injured.
When should you contact a personal injury attorney about an Uber accident?
Anytime you have questions about your injuries from a motor vehicle accident. You can use our online form or call us at 1-800-536-4357.