How to Deal With the Complications of Ridesharing Accidents!

Hildebrand & Wilson, LLP in Pearland, Texas - Image of a Pink Car

Rideshare programs are a great idea for many people that help them get from place to place affordably without having to drive themselves.

As great as this may be most of the time, auto accident attorneys find that there are many legal gray areas surrounding this industry, one of them being car accidents and liability.

Whether you were injured as a passenger in a rideshare vehicle or were involved in an accident with one, lawyers who help clients with car accidents stress that insurance claims can be complicated and you might need legal help.

Rideshare Accident Numbers Are Significant

To date, tens of millions of people across the U.S. have taken billions of rides using rideshare services like Uber and Lyft from nearly 4 million drivers working in the industry and the numbers continue to rise.

What also continues to rise is the number of traffic accidents in bigger cities, with rideshare services singled out as a significant contributor.

Based on one Rice University study, rideshare programs were found to be attributed to a 2 to 3% increase in traffic accidents as well as fatalities and an increased cost of $5-13 billion to the economy overall with those numbers steadily rising the longer rideshare services are in operation.¹

Complications Of Rideshare Accidents

Beyond the additional risk of accidents that seem to come with the presence of rideshare programs in many cities across the country, there is another complication associated with these programs, too.

Car accident lawyers are finding more and more of those people involved in accidents with rideshare cars find themselves in a considerable battle over liability since both a driver and rideshare company are involved.

Question Of Insurance and Liability with Ridesharing

On top of the liability issue, attorneys who handle auto accidents also find issues with insurance coverage and the fact that most drivers are not adequately covered for what is essentially a commercial operation.

Because rideshare drivers exist in an insurance gray area, most do not carry commercial insurance coverage and may find themselves with no coverage for rideshare accidents as commercial usage is expressly excluded in most states auto insurance policies.

As a result, many drivers have no insurance for the amount of damages that might happen in a serious accident if their particular rideshare company doesn't provide liability coverage to their drivers.

If a rideshare driver is found liable for the auto accident, they would have little resources for pay for the damages which would leave injured victims without recourse other than their own insurance coverages.

Fortunately, many states now require rideshare companies to carry commercial insurance that covers all of their private contracted drivers in cases like this.

Contact A Lawyer Experienced In Rideshare Injury Cases

The popular rideshare programs operating in many cities do offer important conveniences; however, not without there being a cost for that convenience.

Research suggests that there are more accidents in cities with rideshare programs and many of the individuals driving for them not covered for this type of accident.

If you are injured in any kind of accident with a rideshare car, it’s essential to discuss your case with a personal injury attorney who can accurately determine the liable party and is knowledgeable about local laws regarding rideshare drivers and appropriate insurance coverage.

It may be necessary to take a claim to the next level by either challenging the driver’s insurance company or the insurer of the rideshare company in order to get the reimbursement you need!