While traditional taxi services still operate in and around southern Arizona, you are likely one of the millions of Americans who prefer to use app-based rideshare services like Uber and Lyft to take short trips around town. Unfortunately, because the drivers who work for these apps are “independent contractors” rather than specially trained employees, they are not always vetted as carefully as they should be. This sometimes leads to unsafe rideshare drivers causing traffic accidents and injuring their passengers—not to mention other people outside their vehicle—as a result.
If you were hurt recently in an Uber/Lyft/rideshare accident in Tucson, you likely have more than one avenue toward civil recovery that you could pursue with help from an experienced auto accident lawyer. If you want to get the best possible result from your unique claim, though, you should strongly consider working specifically with Phillips Law Group, where our attorneys are unafraid of litigation and have decades of experience helping local community members like yourself with cases very much like yours.
Are Rideshare Companies Civilly Liable for Rideshare Wrecks?
Unlike taxi companies, which may hold “vicarious liability” for negligence by one of their employees, rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft virtually never hold civil liability for the actions of one of their drivers, since those drivers are always “independent contractors.” That said, both companies have extensive liability insurance policies that cover their own drivers and passengers, as well as other people involved in a rideshare accident in Tucson.
More specifically, both companies have policies providing up to $1 million of total coverage per accident, which involves a rideshare driver who is logged into the app and either actively carrying a passenger or driving to pick up an accepted ride request. If an Uber or Lyft driver is logged into the app but has not yet accepted a ride request, the liability insurance policies for both companies provide up to $50,000 for a single person’s injuries, $100,000 for all injuries, and $25,000 for all property damage in a single wreck.
How Comparative Fault Might Impact Civil Recovery
If the liability insurance coverage mentioned above is not available or does not provide enough money to cover all accident-related losses, the next step for someone injured in an Uber/Lyft crash in Tucson would be to file a claim against the at-fault driver’s own auto insurance or potentially file a civil suit against them directly. In the latter scenario, though, any percentage of “comparative fault” an injured person holds for causing the accident themselves may be held against them during the recovery process.
This typically is not applicable in cases filed by rideshare passengers, who are virtually never to blame in any way for their driver getting into a wreck during a ride. However, a third party involved in a traffic incident with an Uber or Lyft driver may find themselves subject to a proportional reduction from their final damage award based on their share of total fault for the incident, in accordance with Arizona Revised Statutes §12-2505.
Talk to a Tucson Attorney About a Possible Uber/Lyft/Rideshare Accident Case
Rideshare drivers have the same “duty of care” on the road as anyone else driving any other kind of vehicle in Arizona. Because of that, they can be held civilly liable for causing accidents just like any other type of driver could, and the company where they perform contract work may provide additional liability insurance coverage on top of that.
Knowing all this is one thing, though, and using it to achieve a favorable case result after an Uber/Lyft/rideshare accident in Tucson is another entirely. Call today to speak with a member of our team here at Phillips Law Group and learn what we can do to help you get the restitution you need.
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