Uber/Lyft/Rideshare Accidents in Southlake
Rideshare services like Uber and Lyft have completely revolutionized transit across the United States and throughout the world in recent years, offering a more convenient and often cheaper alternative to traditional taxi services. However, these services do not put a lot of effort into ensuring everyone who drives for them will be responsible and law-abiding on the road, and that sometimes leads to rideshare drivers causing serious and even life-altering traffic collisions.
Recovering financially for the effects of Uber/Lyft/rideshare accidents in Southlake often works very differently from filing a claim over a typical car crash. Understanding these differences can be vital to ensuring you get the best possible result from your claim. Fortunately, you have help from an experienced car accident attorney who can guide you through every step of the recovery process and tenaciously protect your rights.
Is It Possible to Sue a Rideshare Company After a Wreck?
Since drivers for rideshare services like Uber and Lyft are categorized as “independent contractors” rather than “employees” of those services, the companies themselves generally do not hold civil liability for the misconduct of their drivers in the same way other companies may be held “vicariously liable” for negligence by their employees. That said, Uber and Lyft do provide insurance coverage to people involved in rideshare accidents in Southlake, which can be an important source of financial support in the wake of a serious wreck.
For example, suppose a rideshare driver is logged into their respective app but has not yet accepted a ride request. In that case, Uber will provide an additional $50,000 of coverage for one person’s bodily injury, $100,000 for all injuries in a single crash, and $25,000 for all property damage in a single crash if the driver’s personal insurance does not cover all damages. If a rideshare driver has accepted a ride request and is either traveling to pick up that rider or is already transporting them to their destination, Uber has a $1,000,000 third-party liability policy as well as uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage available to passengers and other people injured in the wreck.
How Comparative Fault Could Impact Recovery Efforts
Importantly, the insurance coverage listed above is not available on a completely no-fault basis. If Uber, Lyft, or an equivalent rideshare services believes that a person injured in an accident involving one of their drivers in Southlake was primarily to blame for causing their own injuries through their own negligence, they may refuse to cover that person’s ensuing losses based on the fact that their “comparative fault” would disqualify them from filing civil suit.
Even if someone else is primarily to blame for a rideshare accident, any percentage of total fault less than 50 percent held by an injured person may lead to whatever settlement offer or damage award they receive being reduced in proportion to that percentage. Working with a seasoned car crash lawyer could be critical to understanding how this “modified comparative fault” system works and ensuring it does not unfairly limit the compensation available to an injured party.
Get Help from a Southlake Attorney After an Uber/Lyft/Rideshare Accident
Like any other driver, Uber and Lyft drivers can be negligent behind the wheel. However, that does not mean seeking financial compensation after a wreck involving one of these drivers works the same as any other car accident claim. In fact, there are many unique aspects to this type of case that can trip you up and keep you from getting paid fairly if you are not adequately prepared to navigate around them.
Guidance from a qualified auto collision attorney can be all but essential to achieving the best possible outcome from a claim based on an Uber/Lyft/rideshare accident in Southlake. Learn more by calling today.