What You Should Know About Uber and Lyft Accidents

In recent years, rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft have gained popularity in Colorado. Though these companies are replacing taxi services in many ways, the laws governing rideshare applications are relatively new and complex. Uber and Lyft accidents occur as any vehicle collision would, but filing a claim for injuries will not be the same as filing a lawsuit for a taxi accident.

People who drive for Uber and Lyft in Colorado use their personal vehicles to pick up and drop off passengers. Anyone involved in Uber and Lyft accidents and sustain injuries due to the driver’s negligence can seek compensation in Colorado depending on three factors:

1. If the driver does not log into a rideshare app, they drive their vehicle for personal use. The best option for pursuing compensation is to go through the driver’s liability car insurance, which requires the minimum coverage in Colorado:

• $25,000 per person for bodily injury.
• $50,000 per accident for bodily injury.
• $15,000 per accident for property damage.
• In Colorado, added coverage may be available.

2. If the driver is logged into their app and is waiting for a passenger, they are officially in “driver mode,” which activates Uber’s and Lyft’s liability coverage. The companies offer their drivers up to:

• $50,000 of coverage per person for bodily injury.
• $100,000 of coverage per accident for bodily injury.
• $25,000 of coverage per accident for property damage.

3. If the driver has a passenger, the rideshare companies’ liability insurance will cover up to $1 million for injuries and property damage. Colorado has laws in place that dictate rideshare driver and insurance requirements. For instance:

• Uber and Lyft drivers must have a valid driver’s license and operate a vehicle registered in the state.
• The car must pass a certified mechanic’s inspection.
• Drivers must have proof of personal car insurance.
• Only rides a passenger requests through the Uber or Lyft app is acceptable.
• Breaks are mandatory after 12 hours of driving

Rideshare drivers cannot have:

• A DUI within the last seven years.
• A reckless driving charge within the previous three years.
• Any felonies within the last five years.

Even with the liability coverages for the driver and rideshare companies, compensation from Uber and Lyft accidents usually requires lawsuits. For instance, if you have injuries from a rideshare collision as a passenger, you may need to file a claim against the driver if they are directly responsible for the accident. Filing a lawsuit may also be necessary if they don’t pay according to their insurance policy.

The other driver may be at fault. However, the rideshares’ coverage only applies if the other party lacks sufficient insurance coverage.

As a driver, you can also bring a claim against Uber or Lyft to pursue compensation if you are hurt in an accident, whether you’re at fault or not. The company may refuse to pay you or fail to honor their policy to cover injured passengers, leaving you financially liable for the victim’s injuries.

Now a Word from Gary Bell

By Gary Bell of Bell & Pollock Injury Attorneys

Brief Synopsis of Types of Motor Vehicle Insurance Coverage

A person injured in a car crash can seek compensation from the other driver’s liability insurance company. Almost all states require every registered vehicle to have liability insurance. The minimum amount of coverage legally required in Colorado is quite low; $25,000.00 per accident victim, $50,000.00 for all injured people per accident.

If the other driver or owner has no insurance, or has insufficient coverage to pay you fully for your injuries, you may be able to get additional compensation through the uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage of your own policy. Your own policy may also provide medical payments coverage for immediate payment of some medical bills.

The following are brief descriptions of the types of coverage that auto insurance companies offer.

Liability. Policies often refer to this type of coverage as third-party liability or bodily injury and property damage liability. If you are at all legally responsible or, liable for an accident, liability coverage compensates victims for their injuries and damage to their property.

Uninsured Motorist. This coverage provides compensation from your own insurance company if you or the occupants of your vehicle are injured in a crash and the at fault party does not have liability coverage.

Underinsured Motorist. If you are injured in an accident with someone who has liability insurance in an amount too small to cover the full amount of your damages, your own underinsured motorist coverage may make up the difference.

Medical Payments. This coverage in your own insurance policy may pay your medical bills, or those of any occupant of your car, regardless of who was at fault in an accident.

Collision. Your insurance company pays for damage to your own vehicle minus your deductible regardless of fault. If involved in a car crash, it is usually the at fault party’s insurance carrier that pays for the property damage provided the at fault party has collision coverage.

If you or someone you know is injured due to the negligence of another person, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced injury attorneys at Bell & Pollock to go over options and establish a Legal Game Plan.™

If you have questions about these issues, simply contact the skilled motor vehicle accident lawyers at Bell & Pollock, P.C. for a free, no-obligation consultation to find out more about how we can help you. We are here to help you get justice, and we know how to devise the right Legal Game Plans™ to get victims full, fair compensation so they can recover and move on with their lives.™

To Learn Even More . . .

visit our website to listen to the show on this subject and all of our other radio shows on various legal topics.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in today’s newsletter, or questions on other legal issues, give our office a call and one of our attorneys would be happy to talk with you.

More Information

Get more information about your rights and options following an accident by checking out one of our helpful BOOKS: THEY ARE FREE.

• Don’t Get Hurt Twice in the Same Accident – This enlightening guide dispels some of the most common (and harmful) myths about car crashes, insurance companies, attorneys, and financial recoveries.
• The Essential Guide to Car Insurance in Colorado – This guide helps all drivers better understand car insurance. If you’ve ever had a question about a claim, dispute or car insurance in general, this is a must-read.
• Cowards of the Street: Hit & Run – This book uncovers the facts about hit and runs and how to financially recover from these crashes. It also shares about what you can do to protect yourself before and after a hit and run accident occurs.
• Colorado’s Workers’ Compensation: The Ultimate Guide – This insightful book reveals everything you need to know in order to protect your rights as a worker – and to position a Colorado workers’ compensation claim for success.
• Legal Game Plan – This educational book helps you better understand insurance company’s hidden game plan…and come up with one on your own!
• Motorcycle Accidents (or How to Go Full Throttle Against the Insurance Companies) – This informative read will help motorcyclists come up with a plan of action to combat the insurance agencies. If you ride a motorcycle, you need this book.
• 18 Mistakes You Could Make to Destroy Your Injury Claim – Found within is a precise guide regarding a trove of detailed mistakes one should avoid when pursuing a successful resolution to ones case. This work helps answer questions and details advice to protect oneself from common pitfalls and perils associated with a compensation claim.
• Distracted Driving and Your Injury Claim – This comprehensive work assists all drivers in understanding the dangers of distracted driving and its relationship to your injury claim.
• Premises Liability (Landowner Responsibility and Injury Recovery) – This definitive piece renders the details behind the history of the Premises Liability Law in Colorado and highlights examples of responsibility which further offers a practical guide for injured victims.

Call our office to request copies of our books. THEY ARE FREE. You can also request a copy of any (or all) of these books on our website. You can download a free electronic copy anytime. And be sure to tune in to our weekly radio show to learn more about a variety of legal topics.