Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft have taken off in popularity over the past several years, to the point that most people these days prefer to use rideshare apps instead of traditional taxi services. Unfortunately, not every person who drives under the masthead of a rideshare app is as responsible behind the wheel as they should be, and neither is everyone else on the road with you and your rideshare driver. Uber/Lyft/rideshare accidents in Peoria are more common than many people might expect, and they often result in serious or even life-altering losses that the person who sustained them did nothing to deserve.
If you have been hurt in a wreck while riding as a rideshare passenger or in any other type of accident involving a rideshare driver, a car accident lawyer from Phillips Law Group can help you understand and enforce your right to seek financial recovery.
Proving an Uber Driver — or Someone Else — Was “Negligent”
Just like anyone else driving a personal vehicle on public Arizona roads, Uber and Lyft drivers in Peoria have a legal “duty of care” requiring them to act lawfully and carefully behind the wheel at all times. If you want to hold a rideshare driver — or anyone else, for that matter — civilly liable for a car crash, you will almost always need to prove that they caused the wreck and your subsequent injuries directly by “breaching” this duty of care.
A “breach of duty” in this context can be anything from an overtly illegal act like speeding or driving drunk to a more subtle form of misconduct like driving while distracted. Either way, proving a specific person was “negligent” by breaching their duty and causing a wreck allows the injured “plaintiff” filing suit against them to demand compensation for the full value of all their accident-related losses, including lost work income, physical and psychological suffering, and any expenses like medical bills and car repair costs which insurance has not already covered.
Are Rideshare Companies Liable for Negligence by Their Drivers?
On that note, Uber and Lyft have extensive liability insurance policies which people injured in Peoria rideshare car accidents can file claims against regardless of who is at fault for the incident. Specifically, these companies offer up to $1 million of coverage for wrecks involving rideshare drivers who were actively carrying a paying passenger or traveling to pick up a passenger after accepting a ride request, and they have smaller but still significant coverages for wrecks where the rideshare driver was logged into their respective app but had not accepted a ride request yet.
However, these liability insurance policies do not cover accidents involving Uber or Lyft drivers who were not logged into the app at the time the wreck occurred. Furthermore, since rideshare drivers are virtually always categorized as “independent contractors” for legal purposes, the companies they work for are almost never directly liable for crashes caused by their workers.
Talk to a Peoria Attorney About a Possible Uber/Lyft/Rideshare Accident Claim
Getting in a traffic accident while you are a passenger in someone else’s car — and especially someone you have never met before you got into their backseat — can be uniquely frightening on top of physically dangerous. If you have recently been injured in a wreck while in a rideshare vehicle, though, you know all too well how consequential this sort of experience can be.
Fortunately, you may have multiple options for seeking financial compensation after an Uber/Lyft/rideshare accident in Peoria. Please call our firm today to discuss your legal options with a member of our team here at Phillips Law Group.
Your initial consultation is free of charge and you are under no obligation to work with us after our first meeting. Do not hesitate to reach out — we are confident we can provide you with the guidance you need during this stressful time. Contact us now to learn more!
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