Rideshare Accidents: Who Is Responsible?

These days, getting a ride is as easy as tapping an app on your phone and asking an Uber or Lyft to pick you up. While ridesharing is incredibly convenient, it can also bring about some tricky situations if you are involved in an accident as a passenger during one of these rides. Just as with any auto accident, it is easy to sustain injuries, and someone should be responsible for paying for those injuries if nothing was your fault. Take a look at some of the things you should know about personal injury after a rideshare accident. 

The rideshare driver must file an accident report. 

The very first thing that should be done after any auto accident is contacting the authorities and filing a claim. If there is an accident while you are getting a ride in a rideshare car, make sure they immediately stop and contact the authorities to file a police report. If this doesn't happen and you have injuries, it will make it difficult to prove that there has been an accident and someone else should be held responsible for your injuries. In the event the rideshare driver will not stop, get their information, including details about what happened, and contact the authorities once your ride is over. 

The rideshare driver should have insurance that covers passenger injuries. 

In most states, rideshare drivers are required by law to carry a specific type of auto insurance that covers injuries that passengers sustain during the time they are giving them a ride. Therefore, if you are a passenger during an accident, it is important that you stay while the accident is being reported and go ahead and seek medical attention for any injuries you could have sustained. This will make it easier to simply file a claim and get a settlement for your injury claim through the insurance company. 

You have good reason to speak with a personal injury attorney after a rideshare accident. 

Because ridesharing is such a relatively new concept, there can be a lot of gray areas and confusion where accidents and injuries are concerned. Therefore, you may find it difficult to get paid for your injuries in the traditional way. It is always best to consult a personal injury attorney, such as Jack W Hanemann, P.S., as soon as you can after the accident occurs to get some guidance about how to best handle the situation. 


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