Who Pays for an Uber or Lyft Accident?
Our law firm holds the right negligent people responsible for your loss
Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft offer Wichita Falls more options to get around the city, but this expansion comes with legal complications.
More and more, attorneys Ben Hoover and Grant Rogers meet people injured in rideshare accidents. A question we get asked a lot is this: How is getting in an Uber accident different than another car accident?
Liability and fault are complex when a rideshare vehicle is involved. You’re not just dealing with the other driver. You’ve got a huge rideshare corporation and several insurance providers to contend with, too. These cases are often highly technical, with small details turning the tide of an entire claim.
If you were in an accident with a rideshare vehicle — whether you were the Uber driver, passenger, or occupying the other vehicle — it is important that you fully understand your right to compensation.
Hoover Rogers Law, LLP can answer your questions and bring clarity to the situation. Our law firm offers free injury case evaluations to people who suffer losses due to someone else’s negligence. Contact us now to schedule yours.
Types of insurance that apply to rideshare accidents
Rideshare drivers carry a lot of different types of insurance. After an accident, each provider is eager to push the blame on another.
As an accident victim, you are almost certainly owed money for your injuries, but you must file your claim with the right provider and policy. The company policy doesn’t apply when the driver isn’t working, and their personal insurance doesn’t apply when they are working.
Some of the policies from which you may be able to draw compensation include:
Personal liability — All Texas drivers must carry at least $60,000 in liability insurance to pay for the other driver’s medical bills and car repairs. However, most personal policies don’t cover motorists who are driving “for profit” (for instance, for a rideshare service), which is why the rideshare companies carry supplemental insurance.
Company-provided insurance —Uber and Lyft provide supplemental insurance to their drivers. The policy is only good when the driver is working for the rideshare company. Determining whether the driver was working for the rideshare company at the time of the crash can be a sticking point.
Uninsured and Underinsured Motorist (UM/UIM) — If you are the victim of an accident, and the person who hit you doesn’t have applicable insurance, this type of coverage on your own insurance policy will kick in. This can be important in rideshare cases in circumstances where the driver’s personal insurance does not apply.
Texas Rideshare Law
Like most states, Texas’ rideshare laws are not that old. Rideshares didn’t reach the state until 2012.
State legislators passed rideshare regulations a few years later due to widespread confusion. When ridesharing was new, various cities, including Wichita Falls, drafted their own ordinances that dictated things like hours of operation, rates, and licensure. Drivers had to be careful which cities they drove through because many required their own rideshare licenses and fees. Once statewide standards were set, many of the local ordinances became moot.
Texas’s rideshare rules include:
- Pass a criminal background check (CORI)
- Drivers cannot discriminate against passengers based on their destination, location, race, color, national origin, religious beliefs, sex, disability, age
- Rideshare vehicles must be able to accommodate service animals. Charging an extra fee or higher rate for service animals is prohibited.
In addition, Texas law requires drivers for rideshare companies (called transportation network companies or TNC) to carry specific amounts of insurance. The requirements vary depending on the circumstance:
- When the rideshare app is off and the driver is using their vehicle for personal purposes, the standard Texas insurance minimums apply: $30,000 in bodily injury liability coverage per person injured, $60,000 total bodily injury per accident, and $25,000 in property damage liability.
- When the rideshare app is on and the driver is waiting for a ride request, the minimum insurance is $50,000 in bodily injury per person and $100,000 per accident, in addition to $25,000 for property damage.
- When the driver has accepted a ride request and is driving to pick up a passenger, or has a passenger in their vehicle, the required liability insurance is $1 million in total liability coverage (including both bodily injury and property damage) per accident. This is almost always provided by the TNC.
As such, the circumstances of the accident can make a massive difference in the amount of available coverage. This is a double-edged sword: more coverage means potentially more money to pay for your injuries, but it also gives the insurance company more incentive to fight your claim. That’s why getting an experienced rideshare accident attorney is essential.
We will demand full compensation
Figuring out who is liable and which insurance policies to pursue can be complicated in rideshare accidents.
If you were injured in an accident with an Uber, Lyft, or similar service, you may be in a lot of pain, out of work, and worried about how you’re going to pay the bills. The last thing you need is to navigate this complicated situation on your own.
Hoover Rogers Law can clarify the situation, identify the liable parties, and go after the compensation you deserve. Our attorneys know this is more than just a case — this is your life. We take that seriously.
Contact Hoover Rogers Law, LLP to schedule a free injury case evaluation to learn more about how the law applies to your case, the value of your claim, and your legal options. We represent accident victims on contingency, which means that our fee is a percentage of your recovery. You don’t pay us out of pocket. If we don’t win, we don’t get paid.
If you were in a crash, the statute of limitations is already ticking down. Call, email, or chat online with us right away to schedule your consultation with a Wichita Falls rideshare accident lawyer.