Who should you hold accountable for a personal injury suffered when your ride-sharing service meets an accident? Is the driver responsible? How about their insurance company?
The line gets murky when you want to told their “employers” responsible. The reason for this is the classification of “employee” for ride-sharing companies differs across states.
Although this can be messy and difficult to deal with, you should be reminded of a few things if you’re a rider:
-
Some states require ride-sharing companies to have commercial liability insurance.
Road accidents can happen even to the safest pair of hands on the road. Just because you have a good driving record doesn’t mean you’re skipping on the insurance. The same applies to companies who offer ride-sharing services BUT you should take note that the rules apply differently across states.
In California, ride-sharing companies are required to carry commercial liability insurance.
-
Ride-sharing service drivers can be considered employees or independent contractors depending on where they provide the service.
The state of California considers drivers of ride-sharing services as employees. Drivers working for companies offering the service in Georgia, New York, and Texas are considered independent contractors.
Despite stressing out those two points, it doesn’t matter where you are, if the driver was the one who caused the accident, the insurance company of the ride-sharing service they are “working for” will take responsibility for the accident and personal injury you sustained.
In addition to knowing the details mentioned above, it also pays to know what to do in case you ever are in a ride-sharing accident.
You need to know as much as you can about the driver
There is more than one ride-sharing service available so you need to know which company your driver is connected with. In addition to that, you should get your driver’s contact information as well as insurance information.
You have to make a decision with regards to hiring a lawyer
You will need a party to take responsibility for any personal injury you sustained as a passenger of a ride-sharing service. This can be a really difficult ocean to navigate, especially if you’re badly injured. This is why you should consider legal assistance so you can be guided on how to proceed.
You have to look into the laws in your city or state with regards to ride-sharing services
A personal injury lawyer can speak to you about this, but it doesn’t hurt to know about any laws that have been passed about ride-sharing services where you live. Then again, laws are always changing so it also helps to keep updated if you’re a frequent user of such services. This way, you know what to do in case you are involved in an accident.
Ride-sharing services have certain benefits, but there are also many laws that apply to others but not to them, making the process of accountability in the event of an accident rather difficult.
So if you’re a frequent user of ride-sharing services, make sure to know about laws concerning ride-sharing services where you live as well as the things to do should you ever be in an accident. And if you need help, don’t hesitate to contact a personal injury lawyer at Shamon Law.
Shamon Law is happy to provide the following legal services to San Diego 92108, and the surrounding San Diego areas: Wrongful Death, Motorcycle Accidents, Dog Bites, Bicycle Accidents, Slip & Fall Accidents, Wills, Trust and Estate Planning, as well as Auto Accidents and other legal fields. Call us today at 619-737-2727 and see if we can help you!
