Sunrise Manor Lyft and Uber Accident Lawyer

Do Uber & Lyft Have Insurance Policies?

While several different companies offer rides through an app, Uber and Lyft are the names people recognize and use most often throughout the country. These services operate differently than traditional taxis because the drivers have specific insurance requirements and the vehicles are categorized differently under the law. Uber and Lyft drivers work as independent contractors rather than employees, which is a specific legal setup that helps the parent companies try to avoid taking the blame when a crash happens. Because of this legal gap, it is often a struggle to get the rideshare companies themselves to pay for the harm caused to victims.

When you are hurt in a rideshare crash, your ability to get money for your hospital bills, missed paychecks, physical pain, and car repairs depends on what the driver was doing at the moment of impact. These scenarios can include:

• The app is off: If the person who hit you was not logged into their work app, then only their private car insurance policy matters for your claim. In this case, the rideshare company has no involvement in the legal process.
• The app is turned on and in driver mode: When a driver is logged in and waiting for a ride request, Uber and Lyft provide a specific level of insurance that can cover both the damage to your vehicle and your physical injuries.
• The driver is carrying a passenger or on their way to a passenger: The highest level of insurance coverage from Uber and Lyft kicks in once a driver accepts a ride or has a person in the back seat.

Unlike states with different rules, Nevada law allows victims to pursue the at-fault party for full damages, though the specific insurance layer you access depends entirely on the driver’s status in the app.

What to Do After an Accident

Many different things can cause a rideshare crash, but most of them are the same issues that lead to any other wreck on our busy streets. Some people driving for these apps might drive way too fast because they want to finish as many trips as they can to earn more money, which makes it much harder for them to stop in time to avoid a hit. Others might be looking at their phone screens to see where their next turn is or checking for new ride requests, which leads to dangerous distracted driving.

No matter why the crash happened, you should take these specific steps if you want to give your personal injury claim the best chance of succeeding:

• Call 911 and seek medical attention: You might feel fine or think you just have a minor ache, but the shock of a crash can hide serious internal injuries that you won’t feel until later. Getting checked out by a doctor right away ensures you get the treatment you need and creates a medical record that links your injuries directly to the accident. This paperwork, along with the police report created by the officers who arrive at the scene, serves as the foundation of your evidence.
• Document the accident: If you are physically able to do so, try to get as much information as possible before you leave the scene of the wreck. Use your phone to take pictures of the cars, the road conditions, and any visible bruises or cuts you have. You should also ask witnesses for their names and phone numbers so they can explain what they saw later on. Be sure to get the driver’s personal insurance information along with proof that they were driving for a rideshare company.
• Call an attorney: Dealing with a car insurance company is hard enough, but when you add a billion-dollar rideshare corporation to the mix, it becomes incredibly stressful to handle by yourself. A lawyer who focuses on injuries knows how to protect your interests and can make sure insurance companies do not try to trick you into taking a low settlement.