Ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft have become the “go-to” choice for many New Yorkers. And, why not? They’re an easy, convenient, quick and feasible way to travel in a busy city without the hassle of going in a bus/train or parking your own vehicle. These ridesharing apps are responsible for millions of trips in the city. Hence, accidents involving them are also common. Car accident lawyers are witnessing a rapid increase in accidents involving ride sharing cars.
What does it mean to be in an accident involving a ridesharing service?
You can be in an accident involving a ridesharing service either (1) as a rider or (2) the driver of the car/vehicle the ridesharing car collided with. In both cases, the fundamental principle is to identify the fault. Hence, the following should be considered:
- The person has the responsibility of reasonable care (all drivers have a duty to drive carefully and obey all traffic laws)
- The person who breached the responsibility of reasonable care (the other person didn’t drive carefully or didn’t obey a traffic law)
- You were injured and suffered damages as a result of the other person’s breach
What is the difference between a car accident involving a ridesharing service and those involving two privately-owned cars?
With respect to determining fault, the process is similar in both of the above stated cases, however, the slight point of difference is the role of the insurer at the time when compensation is sought.
Most drivers are covered by their personal auto insurance policy. Hence, when you’re involved in a car accident, you can make a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance policy. A car accident attorney can ensure that you receive settlement for medical expenses and other damages.
However, as per the “business explosion plan” in personal auto insurance policies coverage is not applicable when the driver is using their vehicle for business purposes. Hence, as soon as a rideshare driver picks up a customer, they do not have liability insurance as well as “no collision insurance” under their personal auto insurance policy.
How does one claim settlement from an insurer in a car accident with a ridesharing service?
The most prominent ridesharing services in New York, Uber and Lyft, provide a US $1 million in liability charges for their drivers, however, its applicability varies as per varying situations:
- If the driver isn’t logged into the app, no coverage is provided.
- When the driver is logged into the app but hasn’t accepted a ride request, then these ridesharing services provide liability coverage for any accident that’s the fault of the driver up to $50,000 per person and $100,000 total liability per accident.
- When the driver has accepted a trip and is on the way to the pick-up location, liability coverage is $1 million.
- When the customer is in the car, liability coverage is $1 million, in addition to limited coverage for damage to the driver’s car.
If you or someone you know has been injured in a car accident involving a ridesharing service, you need the Car accident lawyers, contact Siler & Ingber today. Call us on 1-877-529-4343 or complete our online form on this page to schedule a case evaluation with one of our experienced car accident lawyers. Our consultation is free and we do not charge a fee unless we win your case.