Lyft and Uber Accident Policies for Drivers and Passengers

Sometimes there is no better way to get around Dallas, Texas than by calling a Lyft or Uber. The convenience and ease of a rideshare often can’t be beat, but as the popularity of these apps continue to increase, there are more and more accidents on the road involving them as well. In addition, there can be some confusion after these kinds of accidents because the drivers involved are working for another company but aren’t full-time employees, such as truck drivers, or other commercial vehicle operators.

If you’ve been injured recently and are starting to look for a rideshare accident lawyer in Dallas, you probably have a lot of questions. In this article, we’re going to look at Lyft and Uber accidents policies for drivers and passengers in detail, so you can be as informed as possible when you meet with a Texas Uber accident lawyer.

If you’ve used a rideshare app, you know that both Lyft and Uber operate rather similarly in the way you call a car, hire a driver, pay for the ride, and rate the experience. In the same fashion, both Lyft and Uber have nearly identical rules governing their insurance coverage; that is, they provide liability coverage for their drivers, but that coverage varies depending on when, exactly, the accident occurs. If this already sounds overwhelming, remember that your Texas Lyft accident attorney will be able to help you determine all of these details when you review your case.

As mentioned above, the coverage provided by Uber and Lyft for their drivers changes, depending on when the accident takes place. Here is an overview:

• Not logged into the app
  If the driver is not logged into Uber or Lyft when the accident happens, then there is zero additional coverage. Your attorney will then mostly likely be working only with the other driver’s personal insurance carrier.
• Logged into the app, but not currently providing a ride
  In this scenario, the driver has already logged into either Uber or Lyft, but they have not accepted a ride request. There is no passenger in the vehicle, either. If your rideshare accident lawyer in Dallas is able to prove liability on the driver’s behalf, then Uber or Lyft will provide coverage up to $50,000 per person injured in the accident, with $100,000 total injury liability for each accident. In addition, they provide $25,000 liability for property damage.
• A driver is on the way to pick up a passenger
  If a driver has accepted a job and is on their way to pick up their passenger, then the Uber and Lyft liability coverage is increased to $1 million.
• The passenger is in the car
  Finally, if the driver has accepted the ride and already has the passenger in their car, then the liability coverage remains at up to $1 million, and also includes limited coverage for uninsured motorists’ coverage and for damage to the driver’s car.

Accidents involving rideshare apps are complicated, and in the aftermath, your legal battle will depend on whether you were another driver on the road, the passenger in the car, or a pedestrian. In addition, since Uber and Lyft are still so new, many legal issues involving these companies are still being figured out in courts around the country.

But if you’ve been injured, the one thing you can be sure of is that you need a qualified Texas Uber accident lawyer by your side to help you navigate.

Carabin Shaw can help. We have been around for decades and our lawyers in Texas have won over $1 billion for our clients. In addition, we offer a free, no obligation case review to everyone, so please call our Dallas, Texas office today at 1-800-862-1260—you have nothing to lose!