Rideshare vehicles are everywhere, and they are certainly convenient for those who don’t have a vehicle or don’t want to drive in a specific situation. Additionally, people with newer vehicles and decent driving records can turn their personal transportation into a stream of income by offering on-demand rides to app users.
During discussions of the risks and social costs associated with rideshare travel, the focus is often on what would happen to a passenger in a rideshare vehicle after a crash. However, the passenger in the vehicle is far from the only party that could end up hurt in a collision. A rideshare driver could very easily cause a crash with another vehicle, as performing their job could distract them and diminish their safety on the road. Will another driver hurt by someone in a rideshare vehicle be able to sue the driver?
Yes, a lawsuit could be necessary
Every driver should have insurance, but not all of them will have the right kind of insurance and enough coverage given the impact of the crash they caused. There are several types of insurance that could apply after a collision with a rideshare vehicle. Those who use their vehicle as a way to provide rideshare services to others have to carry special insurance coverage due to the commercial use of their personal transportation. There are special forms of supplemental rideshare coverage that drivers can add to their liability policies that can increase how much compensation someone else can access when a rideshare driver causes a crash.
Sometimes drivers don’t invest in that extra coverage or they cause crashes so extreme that even extra liability protection is not sufficient. Given that rideshare drivers are independent contractors, not employees in most cases, they could be the ones that face liability in a civil lawsuit scenario as opposed to the rideshare company that operates the app they utilize. The rideshare driver would need to be at fault for the crash and would typically need to have insufficient insurance coverage based on the expenses generated by the wreck before a lawsuit would generally be justified.
Understanding what options someone may have for compensation after a crash may help them better cover the costs generated by a wreck. Seeking legal guidance is usually a good place to start.