A boom in the economy has caused a significant boost in vehicle purchases, which has also increased the volume of accidents involving these vehicles.
Since several parties are involved and the peculiar insurance structures of ride-share firms are used to protecting themselves, figuring out who bears responsibility for an Uber or Lyft collision can become tricky. If you’re an Uber or Lyft passenger, driver, or simply another motorist on the road, you must know who is to blame to help ensure the most equitable outcome for everyone concerned.
At Mesriani Law Group, our experienced Uber & Lyft accident attorneys can help you navigate these complex claims and fight for your rights.
Major Players Involved in Uber and Lyft Accidents
In most Uber or Lyft accidents, multiple parties might be responsible. Such groups include:
- The rideshare driver
- The rideshare company (Uber or Lyft)
- Another motorist
- Pedestrians or cyclists
- Vehicle or parts manufacturers (in rare instances of product defects)
Each party’s actions and responsibilities at the time of the accident will influence the judicial outcome. An experienced Uber & Lyft accident lawyer can help determine who may be held accountable in your particular case.
Factors Contributing to Liability
Several factors influence how liability is assigned in a rideshare accident:
- Driver’s status on app (logged off, waiting for a ride, en route to pick up, or actively transporting a passenger)
- Negligence (speeding, distracted driving, failure to yield, etc.)
- Insurance coverage at the time of the accident
- Type of collision and whether multiple vehicles were involved
- Injuries and damages sustained
Uber and Lyft both offer liability insurance that changes according to whether the driver is actively on a ride. This layered system makes determining the coverage and liability more difficult than with standard automobile actions.
What Happens When the Driver is at Fault
The amount of insurance in place depends on the driver’s app activity:
- Driver off the app: The driver’s auto insurance applies.
- Driver on the app, no ride accepted: Uber and Lyft provide “contingent liability coverage”, $50,000 per person injured up to $100,000 per accident, and $25,000 property damage.
- Driver en route to pick up a rider or during a trip: Uber and Lyft offer up to $1 million in commercial liability coverage.
If you are injured by a careless driver as an Uber or Lyft passenger in Los Angeles, you must contact our law firm so we can stand up to these lawyers and make sure your rights are protected under these systems with low or non-existent limits.
When Another Party is at Fault
Sometimes another party, such as a driver other than the rideshare driver you are riding with or an entity responsible for maintaining public roads, may have caused the accident in full or in part. If this is so, that party’s insurance company will usually be paid out.
But even then, these situations can still implicate Uber or Lyft’s policies, particularly where there is an injury to an innocent passenger in a rideshare vehicle. In some cases, multiple insurance companies might end up wrangling over which loss they are responsible which would create delays or result in smaller settlements than warranted.
To have an experienced Uber accident attorney Los Angeles from our firm supporting you will ensure that every party at fault is held accountable and that your claim is not unjustly denied or diminished.
Legal Steps to Take After an Uber or Lyft Accident
If you are injured in a rideshare accident, take the following steps to protect your legal rights.
- Call 911 to report the accident and seek medical attention.
- Take photos of the scene and collect witness statements if able.
These lines are a common example of the second-person point of view. In general, you can recast this by turning to the third person without actually changing the content.
Never automatically think the bodyshop level of responsibility is 100%, in other words, the bodyshop must cover all future repair expenses arising from accidents caused by others. Get the rideshare driver’s info, including name and contact details; screenshot the ride details from the app itself in this process. Anyway, without engaging an attorney, don’t make a recorded statement for insurance companies. Consult a qualified accident lawyer for both Uber and Lyft if you feel that, regardless of who was at fault-are entitled to compensation. The attorney can evaluate your case and represent your interests under general law and specific regulations governing these kinds of cases.
Conclusion
Reporting an Insurance Adjuster: No, Now? Accidental Car Injuries Perhaps Forecast Liability in Uber and Lyft accidents differs depending on several factors, including whether the app was open or closed, insurance policy details, and actions of other drivers. For this reason, such litigation cases usually need a specialist team on your side to argue.
At Mesriani Law Group, we have experienced Uber accident attorneys in Los Angeles available to meet with you and discuss your rights for free. Get in touch with a professional Uber & Lyft accident attorney now for a no-obligation consultation, and make sure that at each step along the path to justice, your rights are being observed.
