Ocala Rideshare Accident Attorneys
Uber and Lyft are rideshare apps that serve as sort of a taxi, allowing you to get a ride from one place to another. These apps have grown in popularity in recent years because they offer a more personalized experience than a taxi. Many use them for rides to and from airports and for rides home after drinking alcohol. Many people use these rideshare vehicles all the time and don’t worry about what will happen in the event of an accident. Dealing with rideshare crashes can be tricky due to special rules involving insurance policies. Contact an Ocala rideshare accidents attorney today if you were involved in an Uber or Lyft accident.
Types of Rideshare Accidents
There are several types of crashes involving rideshare vehicles:
- The passenger was injured while in a ridesharing vehicle.
- The rideshare driver was injured while driving, picking up, or dropping off passengers.
- The occupants of another vehicle were injured in an accident with a rideshare vehicle.
Liability in a Rideshare Accident
In any car accident, in order to receive compensation, you need to determine liability, or who was at fault. If an Uber or Lyft driver caused an accident and you suffered injuries as a result, they could be held liable for your damages.
However, there are some complexities involved. Uber and Lyft employees drive for money. They are classified as independent contractors, so their personal auto insurance policy will not cover an accident caused while working for a rideshare company. The only exceptions would be if the driver has a commercial policy or a ride-sharing endorsement.
Luckily, Uber and Lyft do provide some insurance coverage to protect drivers who cause an accident while acting as a rideshare driver. However, determining the coverage can be complicated because it depends on what the driver is doing at the time of the crash. The coverage could vary from no coverage to $1 million. Here’s how this works:
- There is no coverage when the driver is not logged into the app.
- When the driver is logged into the app but has not yet accepted a ride request, they have the following coverage: $25,000 property damage liability, $50,000 per person injured in an accident, and $100,000 total injury liability per accident.
- Liability coverage increases to $1 million when the driver has accepted a trip and is on the way to pick up the customer.
- While the customer is in the rideshare vehicle, the driver has liability coverage of up to $1 million, uninsured motorists’ coverage, and limited coverage for damage to the rideshare vehicle.
Contact an Ocala Rideshare Accidents Attorney Today
If you are hit by a rideshare driver or involved in an accident while inside an Uber or Lyft vehicle, it can be confusing to determine your next steps. Who is at fault? Who will pay for your damages?
The personal injury attorneys at Meldon Law can guide you through a rideshare accident claim and help you obtain compensation for damages. To schedule a consultation with an Ocala rideshare accidents attorney, call (800) 373-3000.
