Car Accident Cases Are More Complicated When Ridesharing Companies Are Involved
Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft are popular ways to get around. Uber reported 6.9 billion trips in 2019 and just under five billion trips in 2020 during the pandemic. Unfortunately, the number of accidents involving these ride-for-hire companies is rising every year. If you have been injured in an accident caused by an Uber or Lyft driver, contact the experienced Indiana ridesharing accident lawyers at Keffer Hirschauer LLP to learn your rights.
Every year, almost 40,000 people die in vehicle accidents on America’s roads. Car accident cases are more complicated when ridesharing companies are involved because multiple parties may be legally responsible. Whether you were a passenger, another driver, or an innocent bystander, every ridesharing accident deserves a thorough investigation by an Indianapolis rideshare accident lawyer to ensure full and fair recovery of damages.
Indiana Ridesharing Accident Lawyers to Successfully Handle Complex Cases
The use of ridesharing services, such as Uber and Lyft, while cost-efficient and user-friendly, also come with its own set of accident risks. Most Uber and Lyft drivers are insured, so if you are a motorist or passenger who was injured because of a ridesharing driver’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation under that policy. In some cases, the rideshare company employing the driver may also be at fault. You may schedule a free meeting with one of our Indiana ridesharing accident lawyers to assess the specifics of your case.
Litigation of ridesharing accidents is often different from other car accidents. Indiana is a fault-based auto liability state, which means that those who are responsible for causing an accident are required to compensate injured parties for their financial losses. Typically, the injured person must file a claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. If Uber, Lyft, or another ridesharing service was part of the accident, multiple insurers may be involved. To deal with multiple parties and insurance companies, an Indianapolis rideshare accident lawyer must understand the law, the potentially responsible parties, and how to recover compensation for accident victims.
Our Indiana Ridesharing Accident Lawyers Track the Growth of Ridesharing Accidents
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business analyzed the interaction between the advent of ridesharing businesses and the average number of traffic crashes. The study found that, since app-based driving services entered the scene, there has been a three percent increase in the number of accident-related fatalities.
Larger cities realized the most significant increases in accidents, with more ridesharing vehicles on the roads despite the availability of public transportation. These cities also showed a similar increase in pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities after ridesharing was introduced.
As Indiana ridesharing accident attorneys, we see accidents arising from situations during ridesharing that did not exist before. For example, Indiana Code § 9-21-8-59 prohibits drivers from using a cell phone while driving unless it is hands-free or uses voice technology. However, many rideshare drivers use their cell phones while driving to accept rides, find passengers, and navigate routes without using hands-free technology.
Ridesharing accidents also happen more often when a driver is attempting to pick up passengers and needs a place to pull over quickly. In general, drivers who are using a phone app or GPS to quickly carry passengers from place to place are simply more distracted than the typical drivers you might encounter on the road. The Indiana ridesharing accident lawyers at Keffer Hirschauer LLP investigate all possible causes of your injuries and seek compensation from those responsible.
Who Is Liable for Damages? It Depends on Your Situation
Accidents involving ridesharing services usually involve several insurance carriers. Coverage available may include the following:
- The driver’s personal coverage
- The ridesharing company’s various levels of coverage on the driver
- The coverage of other drivers involved in the crash
- The victim’s uninsured or underinsured coverage
The ridesharing company usually carries the largest amount of coverage, but the amount of insurance depends on the driver’s status with the company when an accident occurs. Accidents usually occur during one of three scenarios:
- The rideshare driver has not opened and logged on to the rideshare application when the accident happens
- The rideshare driver has logged on to the rideshare application but hasn’t accepted a ride request when involved in a collision
- The rideshare driver has logged on to the app and accepted a ride before the accident occurred
Any coverage provided by the rideshare company to the driver varies depending on which of these scenarios applies. Uber advertises the following coverages:
- If the driver had not opened and logged on to the rideshare application, the company is not obligated to provide any coverage at all. An injured motorist or passenger will need to pursue a claim through the at-fault driver’s personal insurance carrier or file a lawsuit against that driver to recover compensation.
- If the driver had logged on to the rideshare application but hadn’t accepted a ride request yet, the driver may be eligible for liability coverage of up to $50,000 per injured person, or $100,000 for the entire collision, and up to $25,000 for property damages.
- If the driver had logged on to the app and accepted a ride, Uber’s policy provides one million dollars of liability coverage and possibly one million dollars of uninsured/underinsured coverage that can pay damages for injured parties. In some cases, the ridesharing policy may only cover people injured as a result of the driver’s negligence, while in other situations, there may be coverage if someone else was at fault.
The Indiana ridesharing accident lawyers at Keffer Hirschauer LLP have deep experience in the complexities of fighting for compensation when multiple parties and insurers are involved.
Trust an Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer in Indianapolis to Recover Damages for Your Ridesharing Accident
Depending on the circumstances of your accident, your injuries and damages may be covered under the liability policies required by Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare company if you were:
- The driver of another vehicle who was injured in an accident in which a rideshare driver was at fault
- A passenger in another vehicle involved in a crash in which a rideshare driver was at fault
- A passenger inside an rideshare vehicle during a crash, regardless of who was at fault
- The driver of a rideshare vehicle involved in an accident caused by another driver
Keep in mind that injured parties can only collect compensation if they can prove both liability (fault) and damages (financial and other loss). Skilled Indianapolis Uber and Lyft attorneys prove liability by showing evidence of the driver’s fault and how it caused the injuries. Liability evidence may include photos from the scene of the accident, eyewitness reports, traffic camera recordings, and testimony from an accident reconstruction expert or other expert witnesses.
Once a ridesharing driver’s negligence has been established, the injured party will still need to provide proof of damages related to the injuries. Evidence of damages can include treatment records, medical bills, and proof of lost wages. This evidence can play an especially crucial role in certain cases, especially if your case involves serious injuries, your claim exceeds the rideshare company’s coverage policy, or the rideshare company refuses to provide any coverage.
With decades of personal injury negotiation and trial experience, attorneys Bradley Keffer and Tom Hirschauer have successfully recovered millions of dollars for car accident victims. Clients trust these compassionate Indiana ridesharing accident attorneys and their team to represent them in accident claims and protect their rights.
Contact Our Indiana Ridesharing Accident Lawyers Today
If you were injured in an accident caused by an Uber, Lyft, or other rideshare driver, the team at Keffer Hirschauer LLP is here to help. Contact us today by calling 317-455-4043 or complete our online contact form to schedule a free appointment with our outstanding team of Indiana ridesharing accident lawyers who will answer your questions and help you recover the money damages you deserve.