In the 21st century, common modes of transportation like the bus, the train, and the taxi cab are rapidly losing ground to new ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft. These innovative companies grow seemingly day by day and are today one of the most reliable and frequently utilized methods of transportation in the state of Georgia. The convenience offered by Lyft and Uber, the quality and comfort of the experience, and the simplicity of hiring an Uber driver make these services an efficient and enjoyable way to get from point A to point B in Sandy Springs, GA. The Uber and Lyft experience is one that is enjoyed by passengers and drivers alike, but for the passenger or passer-by who is involved in a Lyft or Uber Accident in Sandy Springs, GA, the experience is nowhere near pleasant. Uber accidents are a relatively new legal landscape, so it is important that you call an Uber accident lawyer near Sandy Springs for advice.
When to Hire an Uber Accident Attorney near Sandy Springs, GA
Every day more people utilize ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft. The increased demand for rides means more Uber and Lyft drivers on the roads, and that means more Lyft and Uber Accidents near Sandy Springs. If you have been in an accident in which one of the vehicles was an Uber or Lyft car, you should reach out to a Lyft accident lawyer near Sandy Springs as soon as possible. Your Uber Accident lawyer will help you to learn what your rights are, how much compensation you could recover, and who you should be seeking that compensation from the ride-sharing company, the driver’s insurance company, or the driver.
Uber and Lyft’s surge in popularity means that these vehicles are now common in both rural and urban parts of Georgia. This makes it important for drivers in around Sandy Springs to know just how they are protected if they should find themselves in a car accident with an Uber or Lyft vehicle. Will Uber’s or Lyft’s insurance pay for your damages? Will the driver’s insurance come into play? What if there is not sufficient coverage to cover your damages? Does the driver of the Uber vehicle bear any liability, or does it all fall to the company that hired them? The answers to these important questions are not simple and vary depending on the situation of your Uber or Lyft accident in Sandy Springs, Georgia. Thankfully, a lawyer can explain it all to you.
Insurance in Lyft and Uber Accidents near Sandy Springs, GA
If you are in an accident with a Lyft or Uber car in Sandy Springs, GA, there are two potential situations:
You may be a passenger in one of these ride-sharing vehicles when it is involved in a collision. If this is the case, any injuries you suffer will be covered by Lyft’s or Uber’s own insurance policy.
Second, if you are in another car that is hit by a Lyft or Uber vehicle, which insurance policy will pay depends upon the driver of the Lyft or Uber car. If the Uber car was on duty with a passenger on board, then Uber’s insurance company will pay the damages. If the Uber or Lyft driver is between fares or is not on duty, then the driver’s own personal insurance will come into play. Your Lyft accident attorney will be able to determine which situation best applies to you.
What Kind of Insurance do Uber and Lyft Drivers Have?
Like anyone else behind the wheel in Sandy Springs, Uber and Lyft drivers have to carry the state minimum liability insurance coverages on vehicles. The business model around ride-sharing is still relatively new, so legal precedent is still being set in a lot of cases, and it isn’t always easy to tell when the driver’s insurance rather than Uber’s or Lyft’s should be the one responsible for paying damages. However, with an experienced car accident lawyer serving Sandy Springs, you will be able to piece it all together.
Uber and Lyft’s insurance policies are fairly similar, covering all drivers while they are on duty and have a passenger on board. Both companies have one million dollar liability policies covering their drivers – very good coverage, so if you are hit by an on-duty Uber or Lyft driver, or if you were a passenger in a Lyft or Uber car in a crash, you can feel very secure about this.
If, on the other hand, the Uber or Lyft driver is in between passengers, things get a little more complicated. An Uber driver who is logged in and set as “On Duty” but without a passenger will still have some insurance coverage from Uber or Lyft, totaling about $50,000 worth of liability coverage. This means that being in an accident with a Lyft driver who is on duty but has no passenger could mean that the coverage is capped, particularly if the accident is serious and involves injuries.
Finally, if the Uber or Lyft driver is off duty entirely, then the company’s insurance will likely not come into play, and the driver’s own insurance will be responsible for compensation, like in a traditional car accident – however, there is a potential major pitfall here.
Personal Insurance and Uber Drivers in Sandy Springs, GA
As if the Uber and Lyft insurance situation wasn’t complicated enough, in a situation where the Uber driver is off duty, sometimes the driver’s personal insurance company will deny any claims no matter how clear it is that their driver was at fault. This is because, should they learn that the driver in question works for Uber, many personal insurance policies do not permit their drivers to work as ride-sharing providers. There are some newer insurance companies who have policies with allowances for commercial use of a vehicle, but some Uber or Lyft drivers may not have this coverage, and will essentially be driving uninsured without knowing.
How Lyft and Uber Accident Lawyers in Sandy Springs Can Clarify an Unclear Situation
Uber and Lyft’s recent rise in popularity means that regulations around them are not yet fully formed. This can allow for cases in which unique situations have no clear legal answer. This is where Uber and Lyft lawyers near Sandy Springs come in.
Until all of the nuances around Lyft and Uber lawyers have been sorted out, and legal precedent has been set, it is absolutely vital that anyone involved in an Uber or Lyft accident in Sandy Springs work with a lawyer right away, and get the most up to date facts of the law surrounding these vehicles from a professional.
One of the challenging problems surrounding Lyft or Uber accidents in Sandy Springs Georgia is the issue of fault pertaining to passengers in an Uber or Lyft vehicle. Uber and Lyft both regard their drivers as contractors, rather than employees, and in some cases, passengers find themselves working with the driver’s insurance company and not Uber’s or Lyft’s. However, some courts have found that in certain situations, the companies have sufficient control over their drivers to warrant them being treated as employees rather than contractors. If this is the case, the company must be liable. Which is true in your circumstances is something that only a Lyft accident attorney near Sandy Springs can advise you of, after a careful examination of the facts of your accident.
Lyft and Uber Accidents in Sandy Springs, GA and Personal Safety
The safety of their drivers and their on-duty passengers is of the utmost importance to Lyft and Uber. This is the reason both companies have 1 million dollar coverage for their on-duty drivers carrying fares. In contrast to traditional ride-for-hire services like taxi cabs, Lyft and Uber offer passengers greater freedom of choice, including the option to select a driver they prefer from a list, including photos and bios.
Uber allows passengers to review their experience and give the drivers a rating, which in turn will inform future passengers as to whether this driver is a good choice or not. However, positive customer reviews don’t imply a large amount of confidence in those drivers from Uber or Lyft themselves. There are very few restrictions on who can drive for Lyft or Uber. There are no vehicle restrictions, and they are only required to carry the state minimum personal insurance. Uber and Lyft do perform a background check for their drivers’ history of traffic violations as well, but on the whole, the process is fairly lax.
As one may imagine, there are Uber and Lyft drivers who slip through the companies’ screening efforts and have no business driving passengers. They may even have positive passenger reviews, thanks to friends or family. Many Uber and Lyft accidents in Sandy Springs are caused due to reckless or careless driving on the part of the Uber or Lyft driver, and common issues seen by personal injury lawyers near Sandy Springs include speeding, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, distracted driving, and disregard for traffic signals.
Uber and Lyft Accident Lawyers at The Weinstein Firm Serving Sandy Springs
Here at The Weinstein Firm, our Lyft and Uber accident attorneys have an excellent understanding of all the latest changes in the law surrounding ride-sharing services, the insurance policies they carry, and the issues of liability that arise during these accidents. In the most direct, straightforward circumstances, including when a driver of an Uber or Lyft vehicle is on duty and has a passenger, Uber’s or Lyft’s own coverage could mean recovering a larger settlement than you expect. On the other hand, having to deal with the driver’s own insurance policy could prove challenging to negotiate fair and just compensation. Even more complicated, your case could fall outside the realm of these two rather straightforward situations. In either case, having an experienced Lyft accident lawyer on your side can prove critical to securing a positive outcome.
The Lyft and Uber accident attorneys here at The Weinstein Firm serving Sandy Springs, GA, will work hard each and every day to help you make sense of the legalities surrounding ride-sharing liabilities. We will help you to determine how to get the largest possible compensation to cover your medical costs, lost wages, and non-economic damages such as pain and suffering.
An Experienced Uber Accident Lawyer Near Sandy Springs is Here to Help
Whether you were a passenger, driver, or pedestrian injured in a Lyft or Uber accident in Sandy Springs, The Weinstein Firm’s Lyft and Uber accident attorneys are ready to provide you with the representation and sound legal advice you need to get through this situation in one piece, recovering the compensation to which you are entitled. Our experienced Lyft accident lawyers have comprehensive knowledge in the realm of Lyft and Uber accident liability cases and will be happy to examine the details of your case and advise you as to how to handle your accident’s insurance claims.
Don’t wait – if you have been in a car accident involving a Lyft or Uber vehicle, whether you were in the Lyft car or another, the first thing you need to do after seeking medical attention is to contact an Uber accident lawyer here at The Weinstein Firm near Sandy Springs, GA. You deserve to recover the full compensation for your losses just as anyone in another car accident would, and your Uber wreck lawyer will be able to advise you as to how to go about doing just that. Uber and Lyft accidents have complicated and frequently unclear legal areas surrounding them, and trying to sort this situation out on your own can result in a lot of stress and frustration, and very little, or no, compensation to show for it. Our Lyft accident lawyers at the Weinstein firm will provide all of the legal guidance and assistance that you need, beginning with our free consultation and culminating in the final settlement award for you and your family.
