Uber and Lyft Car Accidents: What Are My Rights And How Is This Different From Your Typical Car Accident

Uber or Lyft Car Accident
Whether you’re the passenger, the driver, or the other motor vehicle involved in an accident involving a ridesharing company like Uber or Lyft, there are certain rights and concerns that are essential to the insurance and claims process. As the industry is still relatively new, the insurance companies are playing catch up to make sure that their policies involve some kind of ridesharing agreement for coverage and options. Thus, it is essential to retain an attorney or law firm experienced in handling claims and cases against Uber/Lyft. At Dolman Law Group, we have successfully handled numerous Uber and Lyft cases with impressive results. Their insurance carriers are well aware of our reputation for aggressively handling Uber car accident and Lyft injury claims.

What is a rideshare company?
Rideshare companies (also known as Transportation Network Companies or Peer-to-peer ridesharing) provide driver-for-hire ridesharing services to consumers by contracting with freelance drivers who use their personal vehicles to transport passengers. This service is provided through a smartphone app that is convenient and often inexpensive. Simply pull out your phone, request a ride, and within minutes you’re on your way. Once you arrive at your destination, simply get out and move on with your day. The app handles the payment automatically. Like I said, they are extremely convenient and easy to use. But there are also some serious concerns about how these services operate, how they screen their drivers, and how they protect their customers if there’s an accident.
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Is Uber Required to Have Insurance in Case of an Uber Car Accident?
With such widespread use of rideshare growing so quickly, certain parties have grown concerned over how accidents with Uber and other rideshare company vehicles will be handled. Details such as “How much insurance coverage will be given?”, “Who will get the coverage from this insurance?”, and “What will insurance cover or not cover?” all have been pondered not only by the consumers utilizing rideshare, but by regulatory entities that work to ensure the consumer is not taken advantage of.

Ridesharing Laws
Regulation of ridesharing services in Florida is covered by the bill HB221 signed on May 9th of 2017. Also called the “Uber/Lyft” bill, HB221 requires that rideshare drivers be insured while they are logged into the app but not driving a passenger and also when they are driving a passenger. The bill specifies that the insurance requirements of the bill may be met by either the driver or the rideshare company.

The minimum amounts specified by the Uber/Lyft bill for insurance coverage are:
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Am I Covered in an Uber Accident?
What is Uber? In the simplest form, Uber is a personal taxi service wherein the user downloads an app to their smartphone that links the user to the nearest driver, and that driver comes to get you in their personal vehicle. More explanation needed? No problem. Speaking from personal experience, when you download Uber you link a credit card to the account for payment.

When you want to go somewhere, you sign into the app which pinpoints your location and enables you to see the other Uber drivers and the estimated time it will for them to get you. You select a driver, which then reveals the driver’s name, their vehicle, and contact information. You can also get a costs estimate from your current location to destination. The driver will often contact you to confirm your location then away you go. The Uber driver becomes your personal driver for hire.
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There’s a common misconception among many people that calling for a Lyft or Uber ride means that you’re asking for injuries. The ride-sharing service offers a number of key advantages to its riders—not the least of which is a safe, sober driver if you’ve been out drinking—but due to the high publication level of accidents, especially fatal accidents, that occur while using these platforms. Many passengers find themselves struggling with whether or not this is the wisest choice for them. The reality, however, is that ridesharing services shouldn’t be unsafe. In fact, calling for an Uber might be safer than getting behind the wheel on your own!
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Steps to Take After an Uber Accident
Getting hurt by an Uber driver or while riding in an Uber-operated vehicle is a serious matter. There’s a good chance you didn’t expect to end up in the emergency room, nor to suffer injuries because of a driver’s negligence. There’s also the potential that another person or entity was at fault by causing the crash with the Uber vehicle. Under Florida’s no-fault car accident legislation, each crash victim must go to his or her own auto insurance policy for the first $10,000 of Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefits. If you were hurt, you might want to follow these steps:
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Ridesharing is on the rise. Uber estimates that nearly 80 million customers use their service, every month! This number is astronomical on its own. And when you factor in that other titans of the industry like Lyft and Sidecar are moving millions more around each day, it is obvious ridesharing is here to stay. As is this case with most new technology or service, many people have questions about how they will be affected by the change. Ridesharing has not been an exception. Perhaps the most hotly debated issue arising from the new service is how it will affect the insurance industry. In fact, the debate grew to such a proportion that the Florida Legislature decided to intervene. In May of 2017, Governor Rick Scott signed HB 221, known as the “Uber/Lyft Bill”, which established consistent operating standards in the insurance industry throughout Florida for ridesharing companies. While those who abstain from the apps may brush this Bill off after a glance at its name, the fact is this Bill affects almost every person in Florida, and even those who visit Florida. The Bill affects not only Uber drivers, but passengers, pedestrians, and other drivers on the road. Because of its far-reaching implications, it is important you understand how the insurance coverage offered by Uber can affect you
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Ride-share services such as Uber and Lyft, after an uphill battle, are apparently in the Florida transportation market to stay, despite the efforts of the taxi industry to stop them. These ride-share companies offer several benefits to their customers. They are easily accessible thru a smartphone app, they arrive quickly using a GPS, they are not discreet rather than rolling advertisements, and they are generally less expensive than a taxi, depending upon the level of the ride.

Due to the fact that ride-sharing is a young and unregulated industry, the chances of the ride-share driver being underinsured are great. Unlike a taxi, where the driver is an employee and is insured by the taxicab company, drivers of ride-sharing vehicles are more like independent contractors who are permitted by the company to be self-insured. If you are injured in a ride-share accident the driver’s insurance company may refuse to pay for your medical expenses and lost wages. Although in all fairness, the ride-share company should assume the responsibility for injuries to you or a loved one; there is no guarantee that they will.
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Ridesharing companies like Lyft connect users with (supposedly) independent contractors who provide rides in their personal vehicles for a fee. When one of those vehicles gets into an accident and the passenger is hurt, who is liable for the passenger’s injuries? In this blog, we take a look at this emerging legal issue.

Lyft Insurance
To begin with, Lyft understands that it must provide some sort of insurance to protect non-negligent third parties, including its customers and anyone else injured in an accident involving a Lyft ride. Lyft provides insurance protection for accidents that involve its drivers, which includes liability coverage for incidents that take place when a driver has responded to a request or is transporting a rider.

According to information from the Lyft website, the insurance Lyft provides is divided into four parts:
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Getting hurt by a Lyft driver is not something that you expect when you use an app to find a ride. It’s something that could happen when you are a pedestrian, a bike rider, or an occupant of any moving vehicle. However, now that you’ve been hurt, there are many questions that make it hard to focus on getting better. We understand that you’re in pain and facing mountains of medical bills. You don’t know how you will pay them all, or how to recover lost wages since you’re not ready to return to work yet. Seeking justice takes time, but letting the Lyft driver off the hook for your injuries is not the solution. We can help you understand your options.

Understanding the Ridesharing Law in Florida

In Florida, companies like Lyft and Uber are ridesharing services that must follow a new law Gov. Scott signed in 2017. This defines them as a TNC and states the kinds of coverages they must maintain. At a minimum, each Lyft driver must have a minimum of $1 million of liability coverage, which includes bodily injury, property damage, and death benefits. When Lyft drivers aren’t driving around for this service, they must carry at least $50,000 in injury and property damage coverage for their ridesharing vehicle. Making a claim against a defendant driver’s insurance policy is one option. Making a claim against the Lyft insurance policy is another option. A lawyer can determine for his or her client who was at fault.
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When utilizing a ridesharing service like Lyft, you expect to safely reach your destination every time, and an accident is likely the last thing on your mind. However, if an accident does occur, you will have to make many difficult decisions, including whether to hire an attorney. While legal resources are widely available on the internet, and you may be able to directly negotiate with the insurance company, hiring an experienced attorney can help ensure the best possible result in your case.

You’re Outranked

We want to help our clients recover as much money as possible for their Lyft accident claims, and we also want victims to understand why they shouldn’t attempt to handle such a claim alone. First, the average claims adjuster has more experience than a first-time victim, and may attempt to trick you into signing paperwork that limits your right to fair compensation. For example, the adjuster may offer you $500 to sign a document that waives your right to seek additional money. To avoid being hoodwinked, you should hire an experienced attorney to guide you through the entire process.
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Dealing With Lyft Insurance Claims
If you’ve been involved in a Lyft accident, chances are, you’re confused about how to navigate the complex insurance liability system. Do you have the right to make an insurance claim? Is Lyft—or the Lyft driver who was responsible for your accident—responsible for helping to pay your bills? Florida’s no-fault law makes it even more difficult: are you responsible for taking care of your own medical bills? What if you don’t drive and therefore don’t carry personal injury protection insurance?

Navigating this complex system can leave many victims with a headache that has nothing to do with their injuries. Fortunately, with the help of an attorney experienced in ride-sharing accidents, you can navigate the system more effectively to get the help and compensation you need.
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Lyft Drivers and Accidents Caused by Distracted Driving

A Lyft driver is like any other driver on the road, capable of being distracted, driving under the influence, reaching down to grab something on the floor, or committing another error. Taking attention away from the road even for a second could mean the difference between an alert driver and a distracted driver. Usually, an alert driver can avoid a collision. However, a pedestrian can be hard to see, especially at night. What’s more, a pedestrian can walk out into traffic unexpectedly. Because a pedestrian has no protection against a moving vehicle, the effects of the accident are usually devastating.
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Distracted Uber and Lyft Drivers Cause Serious Car Accidents
Uber continues being one of the top ride-sharing services in America (next to Lyft), but risks are always present when you depend on their drivers. While they’ve improved somewhat on properly vetting their drivers, you’re nonetheless putting your life in their drivers’ hands. Many would argue it’s no different taking a taxi; yet, many taxi drivers aren’t operating independently like Uber drivers are.

Too many Uber accidents occur here in Florida. One reason is that Uber has become very popular in the Sunshine State due to the high rate of tourism. What kind of crashes might potentially happen? On a national scale, you’ll find a long list of Uber accidents around the country. In some big cities, Uber accidents outnumber accidents from yellow cabbies by far.
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As much as you may depend on Uber to help you get around the Clearwater area at a reasonable cost, the risks are always there with the company’s drivers. While Uber continues to refine their vetting process, anything can happen; often, the result is an accident. Unfortunately, we’ve seen far too many ridesharing accidents occur in South Florida.

What makes the aftermath worse is dealing with insurance claims. Would you know what to do if you’re in an Uber accident and need to fill out a claim? You’ll want to know what to do, whether you’re an Uber driver, a passenger, or a pedestrian hit by one of their drivers.

Take a look at the procedures, and why dealing with insurance companies is a major burden without hiring a personal injury attorney.
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Uber Rider Dies While Getting Out of Car
Monday morning of the 19th of November, a 28-year-old man from Brandon, Florida was killed in a tragic accident on I-75 near the exit to I-4 westbound in Hillsborough County. The man later identified as Sheng Hui Lin was struck by two vehicles at around 2 am after he reportedly exited the Uber he was traveling in down I-75.

Reports indicate that at 1:44 am an Uber was called to pick up an intoxicated Sheng Hui Lin at a restaurant in Brooksville. Sheng Hui Lin was placed in the Uber by two men and the Uber driver then proceeded to take Sheng Hui Lin to his residence in Brandon, Fl.

As the Uber driver made his way southbound on I-75, the driver reported that Sheng Hui Lin became agitated in the Uber. In response to this, the Uber driver attempted to calm Sheng Hui Lin down and make a stop on the shoulder of I-75.
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Lyft drivers are charged with the task of ferrying passengers that hail them with the Lyft app to specified destinations. This is a simple enough task but as one may expect, things do not always go as planned. Like with anything else involving driving a car on the road, there is a risk of an accident occurring and injuries being sustained.

A St. Petersburg man by the name of Cameron Decker found out just how much can go wrong in a seemingly normal Lyft ride. On the night of January 6th, Cameron Decker hailed a Lyft to give him a ride to the Green Light Bar in St. Petersburg. The ride went without issue until they neared the entrance of their destination.

Cameron Decker claims that the driver missed the entrance, slammed on their brakes, and crossed a double yellow line in an attempt to make a turn. A van behind the Lyft was unable to slow down in time and rear-ended the Lyft. Both drivers then pulled into a parking lot to exchange information. As this occurred, Cameron Decker states that he then realized that he had been hurt. According to Cameron Decker, he could not turn his neck to the left.
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