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Georgia has several regulations for rideshare companies, requiring them to properly register their business, maintain a current list of drivers in the state, hold drivers to various safety standards, and follow other necessary steps for passenger safety. There are no special laws regarding rideshare accidents, but other Georgia laws about car accidents will apply. In this article, we’ll discuss frequently asked questions on what you need to know about rideshare accidents and liability.
Get in Touch With a Rideshare Accident Law Firm
If you’ve been injured in a rideshare accident and have questions about your specific situation, please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm. Founded a few short years ago, the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm quickly became one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. We represent injured people who have suffered rideshare accidents and other personal injuries, and we’re not afraid to take on big insurance companies. Your initial consultation is completely free, and there’s no obligation, so please call today to learn more about your rights after a rideshare collision.
Frequently Asked Questions About Rideshare Accidents
Can I Sue Uber or Lyft If I Was Injured in a Rideshare Accident?
You can sue any party you believe negligently caused your injury, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best solution to your problem. Lyft and Uber are large companies with deep pockets to defend themselves in lengthy courtroom battles. They also provide $100,000 or $1,000,000 in liability insurance when a driver is engaged with their apps (the $1,000,000 applies to accidents that occur after a driver connects with a customer). In most situations, it’s not worth the expense to sue a large rideshare company for your accident injuries when you could make a claim with their insurance carrier instead. In most cases, we can negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance company, and the injured person doesn’t need to go through the stress and expense of a trial. In a few cases where the insurer flatly refuses to pay a reasonable sum, we may sue the insurance company.
I Contacted Uber/Lyft’s Insurance Carrier About My Accident Claim, and They Told Me to Go Through the Driver’s Personal Insurance Instead. Why Won’t They Cover My Claim?
The most likely reason is that you were either in another vehicle or you were a pedestrian or bicyclist struck by a rideshare driver. If the driver was logged onto the rideshare app when they hit you, then the company’s insurance policy should apply. However, if a person is driving their vehicle for personal reasons and is not engaged with the app when an accident happens, the rideshare insurance does not apply. Frequently, the other person involved in the accident notices a decal and assumes the vehicle was being used for ridesharing when the crash happened, but that isn’t always the case.
However, if the other driver was at fault, you can still seek compensation from their personal liability insurance, although the policy limit may be much lower than $1,000,000. Georgia’s minimum auto insurance requirements are $25,000 each for bodily injury liability and property damage liability. If your damages exceed these amounts and the other driver has minimal coverage, your Georgia car accident lawyers will consider other options to recover additional damages. These might include your own insurance (depending on the type of policy you have), suing the driver, and suing a third party.
If I’m Injured in an Accident While Driving for a Rideshare Company, Do I File for Worker’s Compensation?
No. Worker’s compensation provides no-fault coverage for injured employees, but rideshare drivers are considered contractors, not employees. Either your own insurance or the rideshare company’s should cover your damages in many situations. Please speak with an experienced Georgia rideshare accident attorney to determine the best way to seek compensation.
The Rideshare Company’s Insurance Carrier Denied My Claim Because They Say the Accident Was My Fault, But It Wasn’t. What Can I Do?
Call a Georgia rideshare accident lawyer as soon as possible. Claiming the other party is at fault is a common tactic of insurance companies. Often the other driver will say you were at fault too, in the hopes of evading a ticket or higher personal insurance rates. The rideshare company’s insurance adjuster will happily accept this explanation because they don’t want to pay your claim.
Georgia has modified comparative negligence laws for personal injury cases like car accidents, which means that both parties can share responsibility for an injury. The party that is less than 50 percent at fault can collect damages from the party that is more than 50 percent responsible. Then the final award is diminished by the percentage of blame the less-liable party has.
As a result, it’s in the insurance company’s best interest to find any excuse to blame you. If they’re very successful and convince a jury you were mostly at fault, they might avoid paying your claim altogether. But if they can only convince the jury you were slightly at fault, they can still reduce the amount they have to pay.
Most car accident cases are negotiated and settled with an insurance carrier out of court, but the more evidence we have that the other party was at fault (and you weren’t), the more the insurance company may be willing to pay to avoid a court case. For this reason, we recommend speaking with a car accident lawyer as soon as possible. We’ll send our investigative team to begin collecting evidence immediately.
The Rideshare Company’s Insurance Carrier Made Me an Offer Right Away. Should I Accept It?
That depends entirely on your damages and what the offer is, but you should always discuss any offer from an insurance company with your lawyer before you accept. In many cases, we find that when an insurance carrier is eager to settle, they may be using a different tactic to reduce their liability. This often happens when the accident was very clearly the rideshare driver’s fault, and there is little chance of shifting blame to the injured party. Instead, the insurance adjuster may make a lowball offer that doesn’t cover all your damages, in the hopes that you will accept. If you do, you’ll be agreeing that their responsibility to cover your claim is closed, and you won’t be able to seek further compensation.
It’s easy to omit damages when estimating what your claim should be worth. Your lawyer will ensure nothing is missed, including these common damages:
- Medical expenses, current and future. Many people fail to consider future costs for ongoing care or underestimate them. We’ll make sure you can pay for all your accident-related future healthcare.
- Lost income. This should include any time you missed at work, even if you had paid days off (you still used up those days). Additionally, if your injuries caused a permanent disability that prevented you from returning to work, or from doing the same type and amount of work as before, we will seek compensation for your lost earning potential.
- Pain and suffering. We’ll consider both your physical pain and mental or emotional anguish.
- Permanent disability or disfigurement. Whether or not your ability to work is affected, any permanent disability or disfigurement can negatively impact your life in multiple ways.
- Property damage. You should receive enough to cover your car repairs or replacement.
- Wrongful death. If a loved one passed in the accident, you may be able to seek damages for loss of consortium, companionship, financial support, and other benefits of a relationship.
Contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm Today
We’re always happy to answer questions about your specific case and explain the options available. If there’s a way to get compensation for your injuries, we’ll find it. Please call the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free, no-obligation consultation about your rideshare accident.