By now, everyone knows about ridesharing services, what they do and have at least heard of one ridesharing company. Uber and Lyft are the most known names in the business, but there are others such as Juno that are also gaining ground. At the very least, you probably know at least one person who has relied on one of these ridesharing services to get them from one place to another.
Ridesharing services have all but revolutionized the way you take a taxi and use public transportation, in general. On the surface, they are not much different from traditional taxi cabs as they allow you to take a ride in a car from one destination to another without having to deal with public buses or trains. However, they differ in other ways: they are much cheaper than regular taxis and lack the competition of those car services. You don’t have to stand on the street along with many other people and battle to get your ride. These two things alone make ridesharing services so very attractive to many people.
How Ridesharing Services Got Their Start in the Industry
It’s hard to believe that ridesharing services were not around until Uber suddenly appeared in 2009 to take the world by storm. It and other similar car services rely on an app by the ridesharing service in question. In order to summon a ride, all you need to do is download the ridesharing company app of your choice to your smartphone, open the app and request a ride.
At this point, there are millions of ridesharing drivers working as independent contractors for ridesharing companies like Lyft, Juno and Uber. Drivers use their own personal vehicles to transport passengers to and from a destination. Unfortunately, with so many more people on the road in vehicles, there are even more accidents occurring than ever. As a passenger or a pedestrian who is merely walking by, it is too easy for you to be injured if you are in or near a ridesharing vehicle that has an accident.
Basic Steps to Take After an Accident with a Ridesharing Vehicle
It’s important to take certain basic steps after you have been in an accident with a ridesharing vehicle or any vehicle, in general. These are things you should do immediately after an accident and include the following:
- Safety is the most important thing, which is why you should always make sure everyone involved in the crash is okay. See if you or anyone else is injured so you can be examined by medical personnel once they arrive at the scene. However, it’s always best to err on the side of caution and get checked out even if you feel as though you are completely uninjured. There may be a dormant injury or one that is internal that cannot be immediately seen or even felt, especially when your adrenaline is pumping at high speed after an experience as scary as a car accident.
- Remain calm at all times so that you do not exacerbate the situation. It may be difficult, but it’s important to keep your wits about you.
- Call 911 to get emergency responders to the scene of the accident. This includes the police and medical personnel. The police can assess the scene and take down an accident report that you can later obtain a copy of to use in a personal injury case. Emergency medical personnel can take you and others involved in the accident to the hospital via ambulance to get medically checked out as well.
- Use your smartphone’s camera or a digital camera and capture as many images of the scene of the accident as you can manage. Notable things to focus on include the road and skid marks, the vehicles and any damage they have sustained, other property damage and road and weather conditions.
- Keep the conversation to a minimum, but get the name and contact information of any other driver involved in the accident. You should also get their license plate and driver’s license numbers as well.
- Continuing with the previous step, you should avoid saying too much. Never discuss the circumstances of the accident and don’t apologize for anything. Your words can be used against you to make it seem as though you are admitting fault for the accident.
- Speak with witnesses and get their names and phone numbers.
- Contact your insurance company and tell a representative that you have been in an accident.
- Write down your own thoughts as soon as possible. This can serve as valuable evidence for a personal injury case if you later plan to file one.
Various Scenarios for an Accident Involving a Ridesharing Vehicle
There are a variety of scenarios that might be in place after a road accident involving a ridesharing vehicle has occurred. Unfortunately, if you are merely a pedestrian who is struck and injured, certain factors can determine how you can proceed if you file a personal injury claim. Here are the situations and what you have to do depending on the circumstances.
Passenger in a Ridesharing Vehicle Accident
A passenger has it the easiest if they play on filing a personal injury claim following an accident while they are in a ridesharing vehicle. Obviously, the accident is never your fault. Ridesharing companies have an insurance policy of $1 million that covers the damages if the driver gets into a crash. You can take advantage of this coverage and be fully compensated for your medical bills and other damages. Even so, it’s wise to speak with a Lyft accident lawyer to know that your rights are fully protected.
Pedestrian in a Ridesharing Vehicle Accident While the App is Not On
One scenario with a pedestrian who is involved in an accident with a ridesharing vehicle is that the driver is on the road but doesn’t have the app on. In this situation, unfortunately, the individual would have to go through the driver’s personal auto insurance policy to recover compensation for their injuries. Sadly, this is usually not enough to cover the damages, which means going through their own uninsured and underinsured policy.
Pedestrian in a Ridesharing Accident While the Driver is Awaiting a Request
If you are a pedestrian who gets injured after an accident involving a ridesharing vehicle and the driver has the app on while awaiting a request for a ride, the ridesharing company’s insurance applies. Coverage is typically $50,000 per person for injuries up to a maximum of $100,000 while coverage for property damage is $25,000.
Pedestrian in a Ridesharing Accident While the Driver is Traveling to Pick Up a Passenger
If a pedestrian is injured in an accident with a ridesharing vehicle while the driver is on the way to pick up a passenger, the company’s insurance policy again applies.
Pedestrian in a Ridesharing Accident While the Driver is Driving a Passenger
In the final scenario, the driver gets into an accident that leaves a pedestrian injured while they are driving a passenger to a destination. The ridesharing company’s insurance policy would again apply.
It’s always better to be safe than sorry when you have been injured after a ridesharing vehicle accident. This means speaking with a personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles who can give you essential advice. West Coast Trial Lawyers are there for you and give you the opportunity to speak with an experienced Lyft accident lawyer. Contact West Coast Trial Lawyers immediately to discuss your situation with a ridesharing accident lawyer.
