fbpx
ILLINOIS TRIAL LAWYERS
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OBTAINED
State of Illinois
Serving North Central
Illinois for 40+ years.
We'll evaluate your
case for free.
Experienced in the
most complex cases.
You pay nothing
unless we win.
We'll travel anywhere
to meet you.
We're available when
you need it most.

What Are My Legal Rights After a Rideshare Accident?

Published on Jan 14, 2021 at 3:38 pm in Car Accidents.

Point of view of driver from backseat passenger

Rideshare services are often a quick and convenient way to get from one place to another. Apps like Uber and Lyft allow drivers to use their own cars to give rides to app users in both urban and rural areas. Like all other drivers, however, even rideshare drivers can get into accidents.

Navigating the legal options and receiving compensation for injuries received after being involved in an accident involving a rideshare vehicle can be difficult for many reasons. Let’s take a look at those reasons as well as what your legal rights are in such a situation:

Know Your Legal Rights

Before you even get into a rideshare vehicle, it’s important to know your rights in the event of an accident. Since you’re not driving, it’s nearly impossible for you to cause an accident and subsequently be at fault for the collision. Since it’s likely that your driver or another driver were the ones who caused the wreck, you’ll need to understand your rights and what you can do to legally protect yourself.

The best way to protect yourself after a rideshare accident is to collect all the evidence you can at the scene. After the police are called and you’ve given them your account of what happened to be filed in their report, you’ll want to take pictures of the scene if you are able to do so. If you are seriously injured and need medical assistance right away, then you will likely not be able to do so. But if it’s possible, you should collect all the information you can from the scene so that you have proof of the damage which can help prove fault later.

You have the right to ask all drivers involved for their information and insurance policy information. Since it might not be clear who caused the accident, and even if you think you know who caused the accident, it’s best to ask all drivers involved for their contact and insurance information so you have them on file if you need to file an insurance or legal claim.

You also have the right to get the insurance information of the company they were driving for. Different rideshare apps have different liability policies depending on the situation and the status of the ride at the time of the accident. Getting the rideshare company’s insurance information and filing a claim through their company can ensure that your rights will be protected.

Hiring a lawyer can help you with ensuring that your rights are properly protected when speaking to the drivers’ or the rideshare company’s insurance agencies.

Rideshare Liability Policies

After a rideshare accident, proving liability will be the most important part of your claim. Both Uber and Lyft have similar policies for when a driver gets into an accident with a passenger in the car with them. The insurance policies at play are different when the driver is not clocked into the app or when they are waiting to receive ride requests, but when riders are in the car and on the way to their destination, there is at lease one insurance policy in play.

Rideshare accident claims can be complicated, especially because a larger company will likely be involved. The lawyers at Schweickert Ganassin Krzak Rundio, LLP have experience representing rideshare accident victims and protecting their rights. If you’ve been involved in an accident involving a rideshare vehicle or driver, reach out to us today for a free, no obligation consultation so we can discuss your legal options.

Latest Articles

News & Insights