As a passenger of a rideshare company involved in an accident, you will first and foremost want to make sure to seek medical attention if necessary. Once that is taken care of, local law enforcement should be notified so they can come take a report at the scene of the accident. Be sure to document the accident and take note of anything you can remember about the incident. Calling an experienced personal injury attorney to go over your rights and next possible steps is also advisable.
Should I Notify My Own Insurance Company Of The Accident?
If you were not driving during the accident, then notifying your own auto insurance company is not necessary. While the major rideshare companies, such as Uber and Lyft, hold insurance policies to cover passenger injuries and damaged, you will still not want to deal with them in recovering damages by yourself. Just like any other for-profit company, they will do what they can to absolve them of liability, and will try and deny your claim through any means necessary. The best thing to do is to speak to an experienced rideshare accident lawyer who can advise you of your rights and help you recover the compensation for your injuries that you deserve.
Will I Be Contacted By The Rideshare Company Or The Other Driver’s Insurance Company For A Statement? How Should I Handle That?
It is possible that the rideshare company or their insurance company will reach out to you for a statement or to question you. Insurance company officials and adjusters are experts at wording questions and digging for answers in a way that will help to minimize their financial liability. In order to eliminate the risk of falling prey to such tactics, you should not speak with any insurance companies without first speaking to an auto accident attorney; specifically, one who has experience dealing with rideshare accident claims. Remember that at no time are you required to speak to the at-fault party’s insurance company.
Will I Be Refunded My Rideshare Fare As A Passenger Involved In An Accident?
You can fill out a refund request for the fare you paid for the rideshare ride via the app that you used to order the ride. One of the options to select, as a reason for requesting the reimbursement on Uber’s refund request feature is “I was involved in an accident.” You will want to select that option when submitting your refund request. Rideshare companies have historically been good about refunding the fare when an accident has occurred during the purchased ride.
Are Rideshare Drivers Terminated Based On Poor/Unsafe Performance?
Rideshare drivers may be terminated based on poor or unsafe driving performance if they are consistently receiving low ratings and bad reviews from passengers via the rideshare company’s rating feature on the app. However, these drivers are not screened for professional driving experience prior to being hired by the rideshare company. This means that if a passenger does not explicitly notify the company of a driver’s poor driving habits, the rideshare company will never know about the underqualified driver, and that driver will be able to continue giving rides to other passengers in the future.
Is There A Protocol Drivers Must Follow When Involved In An Accident, Including Passenger Care/Fulfillment?
The major rideshare companies, such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar, advise their drivers that have been in a rideshare accident to take the following steps:
- Check to make sure that all involved parties are safe
- Contact law enforcement and medical attention if necessary
- Contact the rideshare company through their respective app. The driver will want to be sure that they indicate on which ride the accident occurred during, and as many details about the accident as possible.
Do Uber/Lyft Drivers Get In More Accidents Than Conventional Taxi Drivers?
You can take a look at the fact that Uber and Lyft drivers are not “professional” drivers to think logically about this question. Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar drivers do not have to maintain any past professional or on-the-job driving experience in order to work for these companies, and they are not given any training prior to transporting passengers via the rideshare company’s app. Taxi drivers typically have experience with transporting riders for a fare, and are given some on-the-job training before starting to drive for work. This difference in experience may lead to Uber/Lyft drivers being more prone to accidents.
Additionally, Uber and Lyft drivers are supposed to always be logged into the app when giving rideshare rides, and therefore may be distracted by the app’s features (notifications, the GPS directions, trying to schedule the next ride, etc.). This potentially distracted driving can also cause an increased risk of getting into a car accident.
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