Uber and Lyft stand out as the two more popular ridesharing services around. They make it very easy for people to go wherever they want. All you have to do these days to go somewhere is to open the app, enter the destination, and then a driver will come to pick you up. The benefits are obvious but there are also some drawbacks you might not be aware of.
As many Michigan Uber Lyft accident lawyers highlight, when you use the taxi or a bus, there is insurance covering the providers and the vehicles. This will protect you in the unwanted situation that an accident happens. With the ridesharing driver, no such insurance policy is required by law. This means that you, the passenger, might not be covered by the insurance of the driver. You need to navigate a complex system you most likely do not know much about.
Injury Responsibility
In ridesharing accident claims, many insurance companies are involved, like the one of the ridesharing company, the one of the driver, and the one of the other driver involved. All of these want to minimize how much they have to pay. So, how is responsibility handled?
- When the fault for the injury was of the ridesharing driver – In this case, the personal insurance policy or the commercial insurance policy will apply and cover the injuries. But most of the drivers do not have the policies. Also, the personal car insurance usually has business use exceptions. This means that injury damages are not covered when vehicles are used for work. In addition, it is quite complicated to deal with the situation since the driver usually does not have the money needed to compensate for losses when being sued. Fortunately, companies like Lyft and Uber carry a third party liability coverage. These are policies that pay up to one million dollars to cover property damage and personal injuries. When you are the passenger, you might be covered.
- When the fault for the injury was of the other driver – In this case, you can still get compensation but it comes from that individual’s insurance provider.
Lawsuits Against Lyft Or Uber
Ridesharing companies are considered to be independent contractors. They are not employees. This means it is very difficult to sue Uber or Lyft for the driver’s behavior. Recovering damages through the liability coverage of the ridesharing company is a viable option. This is why it is usually not a good idea to go after the company since the insurance company most likely covers the injuries.
Work With A Ridesharing Attorney
Because of the fact that there may be multiple parties involved, whenever injured when using the services of Lyft or Uber, the best thing you can do is to hire a ridesharing attorney. This specialist will be able to quickly recover proper compensation for future and past medical bills, suffering, pain, physical impairment, lost wages, and extra damages that might have appeared. The entire claims process can easily be handled and you can focus on your recovery, which puts you in a good situation in these unwanted times.