In 2012, there were 2.3 million people were injured in a car accident.
Some of those people ended up in an Uber or a Lyft accident! Would you know what to do in a rideshare accident?
We’re here to let you know so that if you are in one, you know what steps to take. Make sure you keep reading to find out!
Table of Contents
Call Police
The first thing you need to do is call the police. Uber or Lyft drivers should do it on their own. However, make sure you call the police anyway.
You need to call even if no one is injured because this will help with lawsuits and insurance claims.
A police officer on the scene can also help to protect all of your rights and provide for you as a Lyft passenger. If the police aren’t called to protect you, there’s nothing stopping the Lyft driver from blaming you.
Take Pictures and Videos
While you wait for the police, record as much as possible. You should take pictures of the road and the area around it to show what the conditions were like.
Also, take pictures of the damaged vehicles. Get as many angles as you can.
All of this will serve as evidence that you can later use in a lawsuit.
Stay At Scene
Even if you weren’t the one responsible for the accident, stay on the scene. Get contact information from the other drivers and your ride-share driver. Exchange information with all of the drivers if more than one were involved.
However, while you’re interacting with everyone, be careful about what you say. Don’t say anything that could seem like you’re taking the blame. The driver could later come back and use that as the reason they crashed.
Don’t talk to any other passengers that were in the car with you either. You can do that later when you’re not at the scene.
Get Medical Attention
If you have any kinds of injuries, go to the hospital. Even if you don’t think you have injuries, it might be a good idea to go and get checked out.
That way, if you have any injuries that come up later, you’ll have proof that you’re not making it up. Plus, getting medical attention after an accident can help protect you legally.
If the doctor does prescribe medication or treatment, follow their plan perfectly. That way in a lawsuit you can say you did everything you could to get better.
Report to Ride-Sharing Company
Net, you should contact the ride-sharing company. You should ask for information like the Lyft or Uber driver’s information, including their name and phone number. You may also be able to find this on the app.
You’ll also need the personal insurance information from the driver and any other information regarding the ride share’s insurance.
Try and also get the vehicle information, including the make, model, license plate number, and registration number of the car you were riding in.
All of this information can help you report the action and file a lawsuit. Lyft or Uber will be responsible for reimbursing your medical bills if their driver was at fault.
Get a Lawyer
If you’re having difficulty with Lyft, you should hire a Lyft accident lawyer.
They will take on your case and represent you if it goes to court. You can represent them with all the evidence you have, and they’ll take it from there. However, they may do their own investigation as well.
Get Compensation
After your lawyer takes on the case, you can hope to be compensated for your medical injuries and any time lost from work.
The compensation will normally come from the insurance company, and Lyft and Uber both have great insurance to help cover claims like this. However, the coverage will only apply to an accident depending on what the driver was doing, and if they were using the app during the accident.
If they turned their app off, the company will say that the driver wasn’t operating under their business. Then, the driver’s personal insurance will have to cover the accident. However, this could hurt some drivers who forget to turn the app on while they’re driving a passenger around.
For example, the app could beoff while the driver was waiting to pick up new riders. If that happens, then part of the insurance policy would cover them.
If the app was on during the accident or the driver was on their way to pick up a passenger, then the Uber or Lyft insurance policy will cover the damage. The companies have millions covered for property damage and bodily injury.
Your attorney will do an investigation to see what the status of the driver was during the accident and whether or not they were logged onto their app. They’ll also see if you were listed as their registered passenger.
Once they have that information, they will work with the insurance companies to make sure you’re paid.
Discover More About What to Do During an Uber or Lyft Accident
These are the main steps that you should take if involved in an Uber or Lyft accident, but there are many other steps to follow as well.
Being in any type of car accident can be scary and stressful, but you don’t have to deal with it alone.
If you check out our website, you’ll find more great information just like this, so head over there today!