Rideshares are an increasingly popular way to get around Atlanta and the surrounding areas. They can provide a way to commute when you unexpectedly need a ride, don’t have access to your vehicle, or don’t drive. But like any other vehicle, a rideshare can be involved in an accident, and as a passenger, you could be injured and suffer multiple damages. You can seek compensation from the at-fault driver, but first, it’s necessary to determine who that is. Additionally, their insurance carrier may fight your claim for various reasons. The best way to protect your right to compensation is to contact a Georgia rideshare accident lawyer as soon as possible.
What Could I Expect From a Lyft/Uber Accident Settlement?
You can expect the insurance company to avoid paying your claim entirely if they can and to pay as little as they can get away with if they can’t. There are several steps you should take shortly after an accident that will make it easier to collect compensation for your damages:
Get Medical Attention for Any Injuries, Even Minor Ones
Many people make the mistake of thinking they’re fine after an accident, only to realize later that they’re in pain. It’s very common to feel normal right after an accident when an adrenaline rush may suppress your pain. Some people don’t experience symptoms until a few hours or even days later. By seeing a healthcare professional, you can be screened for potentially serious injuries that need immediate treatment. Additionally, you’ll document your injuries so they will be easier to address if you have more symptoms later.
Take Pictures at the Scene If You’re Able
This may be helpful if both drivers claim the other was at fault, and both insurance companies refuse to cover your claim. Getting all angles of both cars and any debris in the road is ideal, but if you’re hurt and in pain, it’s best to stay in the car and wait for help. Your attorney’s investigative team can search for more evidence later.
Get Contact Info for Both Drivers
Even if it seems clear who was at fault, you should seek contact and insurance information from both parties who were driving. You may not know everything about the accident from your vantage point, and in many cases, both drivers insist the other was at fault.
Make a note of any other people you see at the scene, and ask for their contact information. If they witnessed the accident, we might want to talk to them about what happened.
If the Driver Doesn’t Report the Accident for Some Reason, Call 911 and Report It Yourself
If you or the driver need medical attention, request an ambulance. When the police arrive, you should answer their questions honestly but avoid giving your opinion about fault or volunteering any information they don’t ask you about. If you don’t know the answer to a question, just say so. You weren’t driving, so you can’t get in trouble for not paying attention or seeing what happened.
Request a Copy of the Police Report
You can file a claim with the rideshare company’s insurance carrier immediately and receive a claim number, but it may be easier to wait until you have the police report and speak with a lawyer. If the rideshare driver was not at fault, you’d have to repeat the process with the other driver’s insurance carrier. It’s also helpful to get legal advice before filing a claim, as insurance adjusters will pick apart everything you say, searching for an excuse to deny your claim. However, you don’t want to wait too long to file a claim, so call an attorney as soon as you’re able after the accident, and they can advise you about starting the claims process.
The responding officer should give you an accident number that you can use to obtain a copy of the police report, which is usually made available to the public within a few days of an accident. You can follow up with the law enforcement agency that responded, and there is a small fee for a copy of the report.
How Much Insurance Do Rideshare Drivers Carry?
The insurance covering a rideshare accident depends on what the driver was doing at the time of the accident. If they are driving their car for personal reasons and not driving for the rideshare company, then their own personal insurance will apply (even if the car has a decal or light for the rideshare company). The minimum requirement for personal insurance in Georgia is $25,000 in bodily injury liability per person ($50,000 per accident) and the same amount in property damage. Since you were a ride-sharing passenger, you won’t have to worry about property damage to your car, but you may be able to use this coverage if the crash damaged any personal property like a phone or laptop you carried.
As soon as a rideshare driver connects to the company’s app, the Uber or Lyft insurance policy kicks in, providing $100,000 in bodily injury and uninsured motorist coverage. If the driver is parked or driving around waiting for a fare, this coverage continues until they connect with a potential rider, at which point the liability coverage goes up to $1,000,000. This is enough for damages in most rideshare accidents. However, in a few cases, such as accidents where a person died or suffered severe injuries resulting in permanent disability, it may not be. If the rideshare company’s insurance does turn out to be insufficient, your lawyer will consider other options to obtain additional compensation.
Remember that the amounts above are current for Uber and Lyft at this time. If your rideshare is a smaller company, their insurance coverage may differ, although many rideshare startups try to compete with the two largest companies in the space. If you’re unsure of a new company’s coverage, your attorney will find out.
What If You Are Driving Your Own Car and a Rideshare Driver Hits You?
The rideshare driver will likely claim they were not at fault – after all, they don’t want to be “deactivated” as a driver (which can happen if the rideshare company believes their driving is unsafe). Call a Georgia car accident attorney immediately if you’re involved in this kind of accident. Our investigative team will quickly assemble evidence to show what happened. We’ll visit the accident scene, knock on doors, and seek additional witnesses who may have been missed during the initial investigation. Law enforcement officers are frequently busy with multiple emergencies and may have limited time or resources to investigate each car accident.
Additionally, our team will search for video evidence of the accident. We may ask home or business owners in the area if they have doorbell or security camera footage from the time of the crash. This is one reason why it’s helpful to call us as soon as possible – video evidence is often erased in a specific time frame to free up storage space, so the sooner we contact people in the area, the better.
Once we’ve gathered enough evidence for a strong case, we’ll negotiate with the appropriate insurance company (depending on what the driver was doing at the time of the crash). In most cases, we can come to an agreement that covers all your damages, but if the insurance carrier doesn’t agree to an equitable settlement, we’re always prepared to fight for your rights in court.
How Much of a Settlement Can the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm Obtain for Me?
This question is common but is too complicated to answer without knowing the details of your case. Settlement amounts vary from a few thousand dollars for minor damages to millions for the most extreme cases involving wrongful death or severe, permanent disabilities. If you were a driver in the accident and the other party can make a case that you were partially responsible, this can also reduce your damages. (Your attorney will fight to refute these claims and protect your settlement.)
However, it is crucial that you find out exactly what your case is worth because if the insurance company makes you an offer, it is often a lowball one that doesn’t cover all your damages. Please contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free, no-obligation consultation to better understand what your case is worth.
