The facts are clear: getting hit by rideshare is incredibly dangerous. Uber and Lyft drivers have been involved in hundreds of accidents, and some have even led to death. The injuries caused by these accidents can be costly and devastating for victims. Here are the top reasons why getting hit by a driver is so dangerous:
Rideshare drivers have not been trained adequately. Before you get into a car with a rideshare driver, you should be aware that they are not required to go through any kind of training or certification process to ensure that they can drive safely. This means that many rideshare drivers do not know how to operate their vehicles properly, which puts passengers at risk for serious injuries.
Rideshare drivers don’t have adequate insurance coverage for passengers or pedestrians who get hurt in crashes involving their vehicles. In most cases, when an Uber or Lyft driver gets into an accident with another vehicle or pedestrian, they are only covered by their personal auto insurance policy — which usually only covers other vehicles involved in collisions and pedestrians if they were using crosswalks at the time of the crash. In addition, most personal auto policies don’t provide coverage for passengers.
If you’re hit by a rideshare driver, it’s probably not your fault. “Uber and Lyft drivers are considered independent contractors, so the companies that own them aren’t liable for their actions,” explains Michael Beharry, an attorney at Beharry Law in Miami who represents clients injured by rideshare drivers in personal injury lawsuits. And because most of these companies require their drivers to use personal insurance policies to cover them while they’re working (not commercial policies), it can be difficult for passengers to hold ridesharing companies responsible for an accident caused by one of their employees. If you’re injured in an accident with an Uber or Lyft driver, don’t just expect your health insurance policy to cover everything — it likely won’t. “Expectations run high when people think they’ll be covered under their health insurance,”
If you were injured by a ride share driver, after immediately seeking medical attention, next you can search online for ” car accident attorney near me ” or simply contact Beharry Law to fight for your rights and get the compensation you deserve.