Uber and Lyft Attorney

Contact this Fort Lauderdale Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer for help after an accident. Uber and Lyft are types of “ridesharing” services similar to a taxicab. The difference between an Uber/Lyft and a taxi is that Uber or Lyft drivers are typically not employees of Uber or Lyft, whereas cab drivers are usually employees of the taxicab company (e.g., “Yellowcab”). In recent years, Uber and Lyft have taken over much of the ridesharing market – to the point that taxicab company’s business has been severely diminished. Disputes between Uber/Lyft and taxicab companies have been extensively litigated.

If you’ve been injured in an accident involving an Uber or Lyft vehicle, there are several different ways that you may be compensated. For one, you may be able to recover from an insurance policy associated with the Uber or Lyft. In the State of Florida, because they are not employees of Uber or Lyft, Uber or Lyft driver’s must use their own vehicles and carry their own insurance. Therefore, if you’re injured due to the fault of an Uber or Lyft driver, you may be able to receive compensation from the driver of the Uber or Lyft.

In fact, this may be your only option if the accident occurs while the Uber or Lyft is empty (i.e., isn’t carrying any passengers) and its “driver mode” is off. Driver mode indicates the status of the Uber or Lyft. In an Uber, if the driver is “on the app,” then the driver is looking to accept a ridesharing job (i.e., pick somebody up). In a Lyft, if the driver is in “driver mode,” then the driver is looking to accept a ridesharing job. In either case, if the driver/vehicle’s driver mode indicates that he or she is looking to accept a ridesharing job, then Uber or Lyft will provide insurance coverage. On the other hand, if the driver mode of the driver that caused your crash and injuries is off, then you may have no other option but to pursue the insurance policy of the driver who caused the accident.

If the driver mode of the driver who caused your wreck is on (i.e., the driver/vehicle is looking to accept ridesharing jobs), then you may still be able to pursue the insurance policy of the driver. However, you may now have a secondary option (in case the driver wasn’t insured or didn’t have enough insurance) – the insurance policy provided by Uber or Lyft. In that case, Uber is required to carry $50,000 in bodily injury (BI) coverage per person, $100,000 in bodily injury coverage per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.

Bodily injury coverage is designed to protect the person/driver who carries it. For example, if you are driving and cause an accident which results in injuries, then your bodily injury coverage will cover the injured person and protect you (i.e., the injured person will be able to receive coverage from your bodily injury policy – rather than from your personal assets).

So, in the situation wherein you are injured by an Uber or Lyft driver who is in driver mode, you will be able to recover up to $50,000 from the Uber or Lyft driver’s bodily injury insurance policy in addition to whatever insurance coverage the driver carried. If other people were injured in the same accident, then all of the injured people (including you) will be able to recover up to $100,000 from the Uber or Lyft driver’s bodily injury insurance policy. So, for example, if you and one other person were injured by the Uber or Lyft driver in your accident, then you will each be able to recover up to $50,000 (for a total of $100,000). If more than two people were injured in the accident, then you will each be able to recover up to $50,000 – but the total cannot exceed $100,000 (so all of the injured people will have to divide up the $100,000).

Additionally, if the Uber or Lyft driver causes damage to your vehicle in the wreck, then the Uber or Lyft insurance policy will cover you for your property damage up to $25,000.

The laws regulating Uber and Lyft insurance are clearly complex. If you have any questions about the above, contact this Fort Lauderdale Uber and Lyft Accident Law Firm for a free, no obligation consultation. You can reach him at 954-448-7288. He will gladly talk to you about your case. If he winds up representing you, he will do so on a contingency basis. This means that there will be no charge to you until you’ve made a recovery in your case.

Everything mentioned above applies if there are no passengers in the Uber or Lyft at the time of your crash. If there were passengers in the Uber or Lyft (or if you were one of those passengers), then the situation will be different. In that case, Uber or Lyft are required to carry one-million dollars of insurance coverage – so this will be the maximum amount that you can recover.

Uber and Lyft are also required to carry $1 million in uninsured or underinsured motorist (UM) coverage. UM coverage is designed to protect the person who purchased it. For example, if you are hurt in an accident caused by somebody else and the other person did not carry any bodily injury coverage (the type of insurance coverage mentioned above) or if the other person did not carry enough bodily injury coverage, then your UM coverage will cover you for your injuries. Contact this South Florida Uber and Lyft Accident Attorney to ask questions about your uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage.

In the context of an Uber or Lyft crash, the one-million dollars of UM coverage will cover the driver or occupants of an Uber or Lyft if a driver of another vehicle causes an accident and injures the occupants of the Uber or Lyft and the other driver did not have any, or enough, bodily injury coverage.

In terms of property damage, Uber and Lyft provide $50,000 in coverage in the case that an Uber or Lyft is carrying passengers but only if the driver him or herself carries his or her own personal comprehensive and collision insurance (Uber has a $1,000 deductible, while Lyft has a $2,500 deductible).

If you’re hurt in an Uber or Lyft wreck, you may be able to pursue a case against various parties. For one, if you were riding in an Uber or Lyft vehicle and the Uber or Lyft driver caused the crash, then you may be able to pursue a case against the driver of the Uber or Lyft. Uber or Lyft drivers can unfortunately be easily distracted. This is because Uber or Lyft drivers typically use a GPS navigation system to find customers and locations. This GPS navigation system can easily lead to distracted driving and crashes.

Additionally, there are very few rules and regulations on who can be an Uber or Lyft driver, and the companies typically don’t do much investigation into their drivers. As such, when you get into an Uber or Lyft, you really have no idea who is going to be driving you around or how good their driving skills are – so you are always risking being in an accident. If you are in a crash caused by a bad Uber or Lyft driver, you may be able to pursue a case against the bad Uber or Lyft driver. This South Florida Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer can help with this.

Additionally, if you were driving your own vehicle and hit by an Uber or Lyft driver, then you may be able to pursue a case against the driver of the Uber or Lyft.

If you were in an Uber or Lyft at the time of your accident and the accident was caused by the other driver involved in the wreck (not the Uber or Lyft driver), then you may be able to pursue a case against the other driver.

Finally, if you were a pedestrian hit by an Uber or Lyft, then you may be able to pursue a case against the driver of the Uber or Lyft vehicle.

As the laws regulating Ubers and Lyfts are clearly complex, contact Mr. Quackenbush today for a free, no obligation consultation. He will happily talk to you about your case for free.

If this Broward County Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyer ends up as your lawyer, he will represent you on contingency. This means that there will be no charge to you until you’ve received compensation in your case – so there is absolutely no risk to you whatsoever.