Easton Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer

May people rely on service like Uber and Lyft to get where they are going every day. Sadly, with so many cars on the road, some of these rides will inevitably be involved in car accidents, resulting in serious injuries to victims of these crashes. Injuries from car crashes can be quite severe and cost enormous amounts of money to recover from. Worse still, the experience will likely stick with victims for a long time, perhaps for the rest of their lives.

Luckily, you do not have to handle the aftermath of a nasty accident alone. Our legal team can help you navigate the various processes you will need to go through after a rideshare crash to get you the compensation you need, either from insurance coverage or damages you get in a lawsuit.

Talk to our Uber and Lyft accident attorneys about your case in a free case review by calling Rice, Murtha & Psoras at the number (410) 694-7291.

Insurance in Easton Uber and Lyft Accident Cases

It may sound surprising, but you may not want to move immediately to file a lawsuit after a crash involving a vehicle from Uber or Lyft. Instead, your first port of call should likely be attempting to get coverage from an insurance policy. If that fails, then by all means you should go to court to fight for what you are owed.

The insurance schemes surrounding rideshare accidents can be very complex, so it is still a good idea to get help from our Uber and Lyft accident attorneys so that the process goes as smoothly as possible.

Ordinary Insurance

By law, every driver is required to have an auto insurance policy on their vehicle. However, that policy will not provide coverage in rideshare accidents. Instead, you will have to look at one of several other policies.

In instances where your Uber driver was not at fault, and another driver injured you, then you should go after their regular auto insurance policy or commercial driver’s insurance policy – whichever is relevant to the other driver.

Commercial Driver’s Insurance

Many rideshare drivers also have commercial driver’s insurance (CDI) policies in addition to their regular insurance coverage. CDI policies are specifically meant for vehicles used for commercial purposes. For example, food trucks, exterminator vans, and other commercial vehicles will have these policies – not just Uber or Lyft vehicles.

Rideshare Insurance

Your Uber/Lyft driver may have a rideshare insurance policy instead of a CDI policy. These insurance policies are specifically tailored to serve drivers for companies like Uber. However, from your standpoint, they operate similarly to commercial driver’s insurance policies. So, as long as the negligent rideshare driver had one of these policies, you will have an insurance provider to work with after your accident.

Contingent Collision Coverage

Both Uber and Lyft offer something called “contingent collision coverage.” This is extra coverage provided by these companies in the event that a driver’s rideshare insurance or CDI policy does not provide enough coverage to compensate victims of the accident. As an example, let’s take a look at Uber’s contingent collision coverage:

When an accident occurs while an Uber driver is online and ready to accept trips, Uber provides $25,000 in coverage for property damage as well as $50,000 per person in the accident and $100,000 for injuries. When accidents happen while an Uber driver is either transporting a passenger or on their way to pick one up, Uber provides $1,000,000 in coverage for injuries in those accidents.

The dollar amounts these companies provide in coverage may seem high, but it is not unusual for the coverage the victim needs to exceed these amounts. Therefore, it is better to think of contingent collision coverage as a supplement to, rather than a substitute for, insurance policies.

Sue if There is No Coverage

Of course, if the driver who injured you does not have insurance, or if their insurance provider wants to deny coverage, you can take them to court to have them be compelled to pay you damages.

Additionally, there may be other parties you want to sue, such as manufacturers of defective products in a vehicle, outside of insurance providers, so you may still have a lawsuit to pursue alongside insurance claims after a rideshare accident.

The Statute of Limitations for Uber and Lyft Accident Lawsuits in Easton

In Maryland, you have three years to file most personal injury claims under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. Art., § 5-101. This type of law is called a statute of limitations, and it puts a time limit on how long parties have to file claims after they are injured. Once that three-year period is up, you cannot sue in court or be awarded damages.

At first, three years may feel like a long time to file a lawsuit. However, practical realities will likely make that time feel much shorter than it actually is. First, you will have to deal with recovering from your injuries. It is then likely a prudent decision to try and work with an insurance provider before going to trial, and our lawyers will need to collect information to accomplish that. This process may take a while, and there will still probably be information and important details that need to be sorted out before you file your claim. Because of all the moving parts that happen before lawsuits are filed, it is good practice to get in touch with legal counsel quickly so that you do not run afoul of the statute of limitations.

Discuss Your Case with Our Team of Easton Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyers Now

Get a free case assessment for your claim from the Uber and Lyft accident legal team from Rice, Murtha & Psoras when you call our office at the number (410) 694-7291.