If you’re injured in a ride-sharing vehicle, such as Uber or Lyft, you have a right to get compensation for your injuries and other damages.
Financial responsibility typically falls on the insurance company of the at-fault driver, which may be the ride-sharing company’s driver or another driver involved in the accident who caused the crash.
The ride-sharing driver’s car insurance coverage will apply to passenger injuries only if the driver has a commercial insurance policy or a personal car insurance policy with a special provision providing insurance coverage while engaged as a ride-sharing driver. However, many ride-share drivers do not have such coverage. Additionally, personal car insurance policy will probably have a “business use exception” that won’t cover damages and injuries that occur while the insured is acting as a for-profit driver.
In the event the driver’s insurance will not cover passenger injury, Uber and Lyft carry third party liability insurance coverage which pays up to $1 million for personal injuries and property damage per accident. The third-party liability insurance will only cover costs when the ride-sharing driver is at fault for the accident, the ride-sharing driver’s own insurance has been exhausted, or, if the responsible driver is unknown, doesn’t have car insurance, or doesn’t have enough car insurance to pay for your injuries.
If the above insurance policies do not fully compensate you, or the insurance companies refuse to pay out, you can try going after the ride-sharing company itself. However, this should be considered a last resort option.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident and specifically while riding in an Uber or Lyft, contact us immediately to discuss your options.