Liability for Ridesharing Accidents: What You Need to Know

Ridesharing may be one of the greatest conveniences of modern-day living. Instead of searching for taxi numbers, finding out if they have availability, and hoping that your fare isn’t too high, you can pull out your phone to get an immediate price and pickup time. With new technology, however, comes new questions and problems.

One of the biggest issues that faced ridesharing in its early days was the question of car accidents. While ridesharing drivers do have to submit to a background check, accidents happen and even the safest driver could find themselves in the middle of a crash. New corporate policies and laws have addressed these issues to make consumers safer.

If you or someone you love has been hurt in a ridesharing crash, we’re here to help. Call Burns, Cunningham & Mackey at 251-260-3815.

Parties That May Be Liable

Before you can start figuring out who is actually liable for the accident you’ve suffered, you should know the variety of parties that may be involved in your claim. Possible liable parties include:

• The driver of the vehicle you were in
• The other driver involved in the crash
• The vehicle manufacturer
• Manufacturer of one of the vehicle’s components
• Repair shop
• The government, if the crash was caused by poor signage or poorly maintained roads
• Uber/Lyft, if they failed to identify a driver’s risk through information that their background check system should have found

How to Figure Out Who Is Liable

The process of determining liability is long, frustrating, and filled with dead ends. That’s one of the reasons you need an attorney. If you are healing from a traffic accident, you do not need the stress of investigating your own crash. Furthermore, it’s likely that you do not know which evidence is useful in figuring out liability.

To figure out who caused a crash and is therefore responsible for paying for damages, investigators and attorneys use a variety of evidence:

• Photographs and video footage
• Witness testimony
• Damage at the scene of the accident
• Police reports
• Medical reports
• Marks on the road or on nearby property
• Investigating any claims that a vehicle malfunctioned

By analyzing all of this and other available evidence, your attorney will figure out who caused the crash and who they should go after for compensation.

Seeking Compensation

If you were the victim of a ridesharing accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Depending on the severity and circumstances of the crash, you could get compensation for:

• Medical bills
• Lost income
• Lost future wages if your ability to work is affected
• Property damage
• Pain and suffering
• Mental anguish

Who actually pays for this depends a lot on who is liable. If the driver of the other vehicle is liable, their insurance company will be involved in negotiations with your attorney. From there, they will work on finding a settlement amount that is fair to you. If the driver of the vehicle you were in caused the crash, their insurance company will first pay for any losses.

If their personal insurance policy is maxed out by your claim, additional damages then go through Uber/Lyft. When a ridesharing driver is transporting a client, the company’s insurance policy covers $1 million in liability and $1 million in uninsured/underinsured motorist expenses. Between all of the policies, there is likely room for your expenses to be paid in full.

Why You Need an Attorney

Just because the insurance policies can pay for your losses doesn’t mean they automatically will. Insurance companies do their best to limit their own losses by fighting aggressively for a low settlement. This is another reason you need an attorney.

Your attorney will be able to fully investigate your accident and injuries, collect evidence, and present a compelling case to the other side’s insurance provider. Accepting too low of an offer can leave you in debt once the medical bills come in, so it’s crucial to work with an attorney who can get you the full and fair settlement you deserve.

Find Out How Burns, Cunningham & Mackey Can Help

Are you dealing with the aftermath of a ridesharing accident in Alabama? Get the support you need at Burns, Cunningham & Mackey. Call us at 251-260-3815 or contact us online to get started.