Uber & Lift Accident Attorney in Naples

Let Our Auto Accident Lawyer Help You Recover After an Accident

As of 2019, there were about 2.2 million Uber drivers and more than 1.4 million Lyft drivers in the United States alone. That’s over 3.6 million or so strangers who may be in charge of your next ride. While traditional cabs were covered by the insurance policy of the cab company, who pays damages if your driver gets into a collision?

The $1 Million Policy

Uber acquired a commercial insurance policy a few years after its start. This policy covered up to $1 million in damages per incident when an Uber driver picks someone up and drops them back off. This includes underinsured/uninsured motorist coverage in case your Uber was hit by another driver without insurance. Lyft has the same kind of policy. After you accept a ride, you’re covered up to $1 million from the time you match with a driver to the time you get dropped off.

Why This Often Isn’t Enough

If your injuries exceed $1 million, Uber will not cover it. In these cases, you could attempt to sue Uber for the remaining amount, particularly if the driver has insufficient funds to cover the costs of your care. A debilitating injury could cost someone more than $1 million over the course of his or her lifetime. In such cases, Uber and Lyft insurance wouldn’t be enough.

What to Do After an Uber/Lyft Accident

Uber and Lyft are both notorious for not providing substantial information about what to do if you have been involved in an accident while riding with their services. However, the most important thing is to make sure you and other passengers are safe, so immediately get to the side of the road and call an ambulance.

Once you have done this, you need to get as much information as possible from each party involved in the accident, including:

• Names
• Numbers
• Addresses
• Insurance information
• Vehicle information

Be sure to collect this information not only from the other driver, but also your Lyft/Uber driver. Additionally, get any information and contact details from witnesses (if there are any) and take as many photos as possible of the scene of the accident and/or your injuries.

Determining Liability in an Uber/Lyft Accident

Because drivers for both Lyft and Uber are considered to be “third-party service providers,” meaning they are independently contracted rather than directly employed by the company, there is a limit on the level of liability imposed on the company for any incidents that occurred during the ride.

Drivers themselves are required to always carry insurance, although both Lyft and Uber also provide up to $1 million in coverage when a passenger is present and the driver was at fault or the other motorist was under-insured. Uber and Lyft may also offer lower coverage amounts if you were hit by a driver who had the app turned on but had not yet accepted a ride.

Essentially, each individual case has different possibilities for determining liability. It’s important to discuss your specific situation with an experienced Naples Uber and Lyft accident attorney who can review your case and determine how best to proceed.

Call us at (239) 309-7550 or fill out our online form for a free case review with a Naples rideshare accident lawyer.