What Do You Do If You're Involved In A Rideshare Accident?

17 June 2020
 Categories: Law, Blog

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More people these days are using rideshare companies to get around rather than use their own vehicles. However, it leaves some questions to riders about what to do if they are involved in an accident while using the service. Here are some questions you're likely to have.

Will The Rideshare Company Cover Your Injuries?

If you are involved in an accident where another vehicle caused the accident, rather than your driver, then things will proceed as if you were in an accident while driving your personal vehicle. You would use the insurance of the other vehicle's driver in order to pay for your injuries, and things should be rather straightforward. 

However, things are different when your rideshare driver causes the accident. If you are using one of the two major rideshare services, there are policies in place that will provide you with coverage if you are a passenger. This is through their commercial liability insurance that many states require ridesharing services to carry.

What Do You Do After A Rideshare Accident?

The steps that you need to take after being involved in a rideshare accident are similar to if you were involved in an accident while driving your own car. The first thing to do is assess your injuries and determine if you need to go to the hospital right away. Your health is the thing that is most important, and you should always call 911 if you need immediate medical attention. 

If you're able to wait to go to the hospital, start documenting the accident site. Even though it is not your vehicle, it is important to take photos of the damage, where the cars are positioned, and anything else that may be relevant to proving who was at fault. It will also help to exchange contact information with the driver of the other vehicle and the driver of the rideshare that you were in. While it is possible to request this information from the rideshare company, it is faster to get it directly from the driver.

Finally, you'll want to report to the rideshare company that you were involved in an accident. The app should have steps that it will tell you to take within the page with information about your trip. Reporting the accident will help get the process moving as a passenger of the rideshare that was using the service at the time of the crash. 

For more information, reach out to a car accident lawyer in your area.