Who pays after an Uber wreck?

Like many of your West Palm Beach neighbors, you have probably used the Uber app. Who wants to fight for a taxi or wait for a friend to offer a ride home? But Uber drivers are not professionally trained, which increases the chances of finding yourself in the middle of a rideshare collision. 

If you sustain an injury following a wreck, you must act quickly to preserve your legal rights to seek compensation from the responsible parties. Yet who pays after an Uber collision may not be as clear-cut as you expect. The answer depends in part on insurance coverages.

Uber drivers have their own insurance policies 

As a passenger in the Uber, you may be able to pursue compensation from the Uber driver’s insurance provider after a wreck. But the circumstances of a collision may alter who is responsible.

Uber requires its drivers to carry their own insurance. Between fares and off-duty, Uber drivers are responsible for accidents. When the Uber app is on – such as en route to pick up a fare, but before the passenger is on board – Uber provides limited liability. Once you are in an Uber car, the company assumes full liability.

Uber has insurance coverage 

Uber carries its own insurance policy to protect riders on trips. This insurance provides at least $1,000,000 in coverage for any given accident, which offers adequate protection for the vast majority of accidents. Uber’s insurance policy also protects you if at-fault driver crashes into your Uber cab but has insufficient coverage to compensate you for your injuries.

Other drivers may have applicable insurance

Before insurance companies agree to cover claims, they usually attempt to determine who caused the collision. If your Uber driver was not to blame, you may be able to pursue compensation from the driver who was. You cannot predict whether third-party drivers have adequate coverage to protect you. But in the event the other driver is underinsured (or has no insurance), Uber’s should cover you. It’s also possible that your own auto insurance would kick in, depending on the fine print of your policy.

With some luck, you will never have to worry about sustaining a serious injury in an Uber ride. If you are in a wreck, though, you must act diligently to pursue compensation for your injuries. By understanding how insurance works in such a scenario, you increase your odds of holding the appropriate people and entities responsible.